Rips in Time
by DrawnToDarkness
Summary: A trip through a future anomaly leads to some surprising revelations about the past. Please read the warnings! Eventual Jess/Becker.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Rips in Time  
Author: DrawntoDarkness  
Rating: M  
Warnings: Allusions to violence, sexual assault (past tense) and adult situations.  
Pairing: Jess/Becker, with background Abby/Connor, Matt/Emily  
Summary: The team are taken through a future anomaly and are given a stark warning about one of their own.  
Disclaimer: If they were mine, season six would be well on its way.  
Author's Note: I know there are parts of this that are cliché and parts that may be squicky for some – hence the warnings and the rating – but the idea wouldn't let me be until I put pen to paper and started to write.

* * *

A glance at the calendar on her bedside table told her time was running out.

'Today,' Jess thought to herself, pushing back the quilt and getting out of bed. She bustled around the quiet, otherwise empty flat as she got ready for work, giving herself a pep talk. 'I'll tell them all today. Together. No backing out.'

No putting it off, either, like she had every other time she'd started to tell the team – her friends – the truth. No matter what happened, no matter how many bloody anomaly alerts there were, Jess resolved to tell them the truth by the end of the day. They needed to know – deserved to know – and she really needed to know what they thought and felt about the revelation.

Time was running out, after all.

If she was going to stay, it wasn't really an issue. The flat was almost ready; all she needed to do was redecorate the spare room, empty now Connor and Abby had found a place of their own, and that was something she thought might be best doing later, anyway. After...

And if she was going to go, well, that's why she needed to know as soon as possible. She needed time to pack up one life and started a new one, to put the back up plans she'd spent many a late night/early morning fretting over into practise.

She'd need to start again, and fast, so she could prove to her father that the time was right, that she was not only ready but was capable of finally having it all.

A secure job, safe home, good friends and a family.

A real family.

'Finally.'

Today was the day, that was her mantra as Jess Parker hurried out of her flat and down to her car. Come hell or high water, anomalies or not, today was the day.

* * *

There was something wrong with Jess. Captain Hilary Becker watched surreptitiously as she arrived at the hub, taking her place in front of the ADD without a word or smile to anyone.

He'd noticed she seemed more and more preoccupied – more and more distant – in the last month or so and it was starting to worry him. She was still friendly and warm when drawn into conversation but the bubbly, carefree, happy Jess who'd happily babble away at anyone, asking a dozen questions on one thing while talking a mile a minute about another was gone.

Once, what felt like a lifetime ago, he would have been glad of the change. Would have welcomed it, even. After almost eighteen months of working with her, though, Becker found himself surprised at how much he really missed the old Jess – and wondering, quite desperately if he was honest with himself, what he could do to bring her back.

He knew he wasn't the only one who'd noticed, either. He'd overheard Abby and Emily discuss it in the break room a few weeks ago, both sharing his concern at the sudden shift in Jess's demeanour. Abby worried if it was something to do with her and Connor moving out of Jess's flat, as since then Jess seemed to be pulling away from them, making excuses for why she couldn't join them for either a film and takeaway night at their new place or a quick drink in the pub after work. The Victorian woman had likened Jess's behaviour to that of a wild animal, the kind that was wary and easily spooked. It was, Emily had said, like Jess was waiting on tenterhooks for something bad to happen.

Whatever it was, Becker was determined to get to the bottom of it. If she was in some sort of trouble, he'd help her – they all would. He'd thought she'd realised that they all considered her to be a full member of the team, even if she – thankfully, in his opinion – did stay behind at the ARC instead of joining them in the field. She was brilliant at her job and he knew he wasn't the only one who appreciated her intelligence and calm, quick thinking under the stressful circumstances they faced on an average work day.

Without Jess, a lot more lives would be lost on a weekly if not daily basis.

Without Jess... Becker stifled a shiver at the thought. It was a possibility he couldn't bring himself to think about, one his subconscious tormented him with on his worst nights when memories of the past clashed with the nightmares conjured by his darkest thoughts.

Squaring his shoulders, he straightened and looked towards the ADD. There was no time like the present, he told himself. If he was going to confront her, force her to tell him what was wrong – beg, if he had to – then he might as well just get it over with.

He only made it two steps towards her when the ADD's alarms went off.

* * *

Focusing on the task at hand, Jess directed the team to the anomaly site. It only took ten minutes for them to get there, given that it was in a building not too far away from the ARC itself. Jess was thankful it was an as-of-yet unoccupied office building, unfurnished and available to rent, hoping that meant the team would be back in time for lunch so she could finally share her burden.

That hope didn't live for long.

It wasn't that there was a creature incursion or that the locking device malfunctioned as it sometimes did. She watched over the CCTV cameras, installed by the building's owner in the hopes that the added security would draw a premium-paying renter to the property, as the team approached the anomaly. She listened to the familiar banter over the comms, feeling a dull ache in her chest as she realised just how much she'd miss it if they didn't react the way she desperately wanted them to.

"Nice and easy." Connor Temple grinned cheekily, kneeling beside the locking device he was assembling. "If only they could all be like this, eh?"

"Don't jinx it," Becker warned, his EMD armed at the anomaly. "Just lock it."

"Alright, mate. Keep your shirt on." Though the picture wasn't the clearest, Jess knew Connor had rolled his eyes. "You seem an edge, Action Man. Even for you."

"I'm fine, Temple. Just get on with it." Jess frowned, her keen gaze taking in the stiff line of Becker's shoulders. He did look tense, she noticed, and his expression was dark and moody, not the relaxed-but-still-focused look she would expect to see with a creature-free anomaly.

"He's right, Connor." Matt Anderson, team leader, seemed to have picked up on it, too, if the concerned look he shot the Head of Security was anything to go by. "The sooner it's locked, the sooner we can all relax."

No sooner had he spoken, Jess noticed the anomaly flicker ominously, a shadow in its centre the only warning they were going to get.

"Incoming, Connor. Lock it now." Abby hurriedly warned her fiancé even as Jess opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm sending a back-up unit to you," the Field Co-ordinator announced, reaching for the internal intercom as she spoke. "Just in case."

"Good thinking, Jess." Matt's tone was appreciative and Jess thought she saw Becker give the camera watching him an approving glance but couldn't be certain.

Just as she couldn't be certain that the Captain really did tense further every time she spoke but it seemed to look that way from the CCTV feed.

Connor locked the anomaly and Jess couldn't help a relieved sigh. She caught Becker glancing up at the sound but before she could dwell on it, the anomaly unlocked and the shadow reappeared.

"What the...?"

Jess watched the team ready their EMDs only to have a small, silver ball roll out of the active anomaly instead of the creature they'd all been expecting. As Connor moved forward to investigate, the ball opened and released a thick gas into the room.

"Back up needed now!" Jess almost shouted, her eyes widening as one by one, the team succumbed to the gas and fell where they stood.

She could only watch in horror as a group of men, clad in the same black uniforms of the soldiers at the ARC, strode out of the anomaly, each of them grabbing an unconscious member of the team before dragging them back through.

"No, no, no." Unable to believe her eyes, Jess could only shake her head in disbelief, fear causing her body to tremble. She watched, her heart in her throat, as the anomaly closed, just seconds before the back-up team finally arrived, taking any hope of tracking the main team – _her_ team – with it.

* * *

Nausea accompanied a pounding headache, reminding him unpleasantly of the morning after a heavy session with his men. Becker breathed slowly, using the time to steady his churning stomach before gingerly opening his eyes.

The grey ceiling of the medical bay at the ARC wasn't what he was expecting to see but he found himself feeling strangely relieved that it was. His memories of what had happened were hazy at best but he could recall an anomaly and hearing Jess frantically call for back-up before passing out.

"Woah." Connor's familiar voice set him further at ease and he allowed himself a smirk at the scientist's accompanying moan. "Why'd I feel like I went head to head with the mammoth?"

"I'd say it's more like a T-Rex myself," Matt returned and Becker hear the rustle of material as the team leader sat up. "I don't suppose either of you know where Emily and Abby are? Or us, for that matter?"

"Did you hit your head, mate?" Connor sounded both amused and faintly concerned. "We're at the ARC."

At Matt's question, Becker sat up and studied his surroundings with a critical eye and a deepening frown. "This isn't the ARC," he said eventually, his earlier relief fading. "Not our ARC."

The doors to the room slid open with a hiss and an older grey-haired man in a white doctor's coat, completed with the ARC logo embroidered onto its pocket, entered. "It will be, given another fifteen years or so, Captain. I apologise on behalf of the facility for the method in which you were brought here but we had the opportunity and it was felt by those above that it was one we couldn't let it pass us by."

"The opportunity to what?" Forcing himself to ignore his body's demands to lie back down, Becker pushed himself up and stood on legs that weren't one hundred percent steady. "Where are Abby and Emily?"

Two beds down, Matt copied the action while Connor sat up at the reminder that his fiancée wasn't present, only to go ghostly pale and lie back down again with an audible groan.

The grey-haired doctor approached Connor's bed, a look of concern on his face. Becker and Matt moved immediately, blocking his way to their weakened team mate.

"I mean him no harm." The doctor said, holding his hands up in the universal gesture of surrender. "The sedative we used is perfectly harmless, I assure you. It can just take a little longer to leave the system, depending on both the body's metabolism and the person's proximity to its release. Professor Temple was closest to the cylinder when it opened, I was led to believe."

"_Professor _Temple?"Matt and Becker exchanged looks. "Who are you and what year is it?"

The doctor smiled sheepishly, as if he'd given something he hadn't meant to away. "I'm Doctor Michaels, and the year is 2027."

"2027?" Becker and Matt repeated together.

"Professor Temple?" Connor cracked one eye open, a grin on his face. "Cool!"

"I understand you all have questions but here isn't the place for answers. I was asked to take you to Mr. Simpson as soon as you were awake. I believe Miss Maitland and Miss Merchant are already there."

Matt and Becker helped Connor to his feet, supporting him when he stood unsteadily. The three men faced the doctor expectantly, eager to get answers – and find a way home.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks to everyone who's added this to their watch lists - I'm hoping it'll be posted pretty quickly so you won't be kept waiting long._

* * *

"The data we gathered on the anomaly places it in the future, somewhere between 2025 and 2030 if it's right. It closed before we could get confirmation, or narrow it down further." Sitting in the chair opposite Lester's desk, Jess clasped her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking. She felt cold in spite of having put a pale blue cardigan on over the purple dress she'd chosen to wear that morning and suspected it was less to do with the temperature than it was the shock of suddenly losing five people she'd come to rely on having in her life.

"It could be worse," Lester commented dryly. When she lifted her head to look at him, he arched an eyebrow."I don't know how, exactly, but I'm sure it could be." He leaned back in his chair, his neutral expression flickering for a moment so that his true concern showed. After a moment, he sighed and reached for the bottom drawer of his desk. "Join me in a whiskey, Miss Parker? I'd say the situation calls for it, wouldn't you?"

Jess managed a smile but didn't trust her voice not to crack. She sat in silence as Lester poured them each a drink, casting a glance over her shoulder at the ops room through the glass wall. Almost deserted given the late hour, she didn't think she'd ever seen it look so big or so empty without a member of the team stopping by to drop off a report or pick up a newly charged black box or, in the case of a certain Captain, to sneak a bar of chocolate on her desk without her actually seeing him.

She took the drink Lester offered and, with the faces of the missing team in mind, downed its contents in one go. She coughed as her throat burned and set the empty glass down on the desk and looked at him expectantly.

"That's quality whiskey, you know, not cheap tequila!" The scandalised expression on Lester's face made a giggle bubble up in her throat. "It's meant to be savoured, Miss Parker, not knocked back in one. I'd offer you another but..."

"I'll make it last," Jess promised, dropping her gaze as she edged her glass closer to her boss – and the bottle. She heard Lester mutter under his breath, something about it being 'a waste of the good stuff' but he obligingly poured her another.

How long they sat there nursing their drinks, Jess wasn't sure. All she knew was that the coldness was fading, replaced by a numbness she thought might be better. That, she decided, was down the half-empty bottle of whiskey and the company of someone who knew what she was feeling.

"They'll be back," Lester said eventually, the alcohol making his tone more wistful than certain. "They always come back."

Jess winced, automatically thinking of those who hadn't: Stephen Hart, Nick Cutter, Sarah Paige... "Not always," she mumbled, sipping her whiskey as she'd promised she would. "They don't always."

Lester frowned at her words, part in concern and part in disapproval, she was sure. "Aren't you supposed to be the optimist?"

Jess shrugged a shoulder. "I'm just tired. Seeing the bright side of life every second of every day takes its toll eventually."

He set his glass down slowly, and Jess blushed at the intense scrutiny she suddenly found herself under. "I had noticed you seem to be lacking your usual... enthusiasm... recently." Lester looked uncomfortable but continued regardless, bolstered no doubt by drinking whiskey on an empty stomach. "If there's something troubling you..."

To Jess's mortification and Lester's horror, tears immediately sprung to her eyes. She blinked to clear them but only succeeded in making them slip down her face.

"I'm sorry." She wiped her cheeks with trembling hands. "I didn't... I wanted to tell you all from the start but I couldn't and now I have to and I don't know how..."

He was surprisingly patient with her, if a little awkward. Lester moved around the desk to sit in the chair beside hers, patting her arm and passing her a handkerchief as the flow of tears continued. They sat in a silence punctuated by the occasional sob until Jess sat up straighter and gave Lester a watery smile of apology.

"I've read your file," was the first thing Lester said when she'd managed to compose herself. The solemn expression on his face made her tense. "Everything, Jess, not just what we have on record here at the ARC."

"Oh." Her stomach flipped and the colour drained from her face. "So... you know. About...?"

"I know." Lester surprised them both by covering her shaking hand with his. "And if there is anything I can do to help with the situation, I will."

Fresh tears stung her eyes but she valiantly fought them back. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice broken. "I have a feeling I'm going to need all the help I can get."

* * *

"We need your help." It was said begrudgingly, by a man in a grey pinstripe suit who reminded them a little of Lester, only without as much natural presence as the oft sarcastic boss they'd all grown somewhat fond of. Introducing himself as Adrian Simpson, he sat behind Lester's desk but didn't look like he was comfortable – or as if he belonged. "A few years ago, there was an incident at the ARC. We lost a lot of invaluable information, records that can't be replaced, about anomalies and events and the creatures you encountered. We brought you here in the hopes that you could help us restore that information."

"You brought us to the future to tell you stories about the past?" Abby frowned while behind her, the men exchanged incredulous glances. "And you couldn't think of another way to do it?"

Simpson shook his head, his expression dark. "It is important that we get this information. We have several creatures in captivity that we're struggling to take care of," he said, evidently trying to appeal to Abby's softer side by mentioning the animals she cared for. "We've also noticed a disturbing trend with the anomalies, one that suggests we may be looking at another convergence in the not so distant future. As the data we lost involves all of your mission reports during its last occurrence, we thought it would be prudent to learn all we can so that past mistakes can be avoided."

"Why don't you just ask us?" Connor asked, drawing both Simpson's attention and that of his teammates. "I know we're all a couple of years older but I'd hope we're not all senile yet. Matt, maybe, but not the rest of us."

"If you were here to ask, Mr Temple, we would." Simpson waited a moment, seeing the surprise on their faces. "I'm sure you'll understand why I can't go into details. We didn't do this to change the past, just to get information that may help us here in the present or, well, in your future. I could say that you all went onto bigger and better things and happily chose to leave the ARC but I won't lie to you. That isn't how it happened, not for all of you."

"Not for any of us, I'd bet," Becker muttered, his eyes narrowed. "Why isn't Lester here? He wouldn't have retired, not yet, and there's no way he'd leave the agency willingly."

"Mr Lester... There was an unfortunate series of events that led to Mr Lester's priorities being elsewhere." Subconsciously, Becker was sure, Simpson's gaze drifted towards the glass wall of his office and towards the hub of the ops room, his expression mildly disapproving. "He is still involved in the project, in a manner of speaking, but no longer contributes as directly as he did in your time."

Following his gaze, Becker found himself staring at the ADD. He couldn't see its operator clearly but his instincts told him she – and it was a woman – wasn't the one he realised he was hoping to see.

"We can tell you what we know about convergence," Matt said eventually, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the group. "But we need assurances that we're going to be able to get back to our time. The time we left," he clarified, when his statement drew some raised eyebrows. "You wouldn't have brought us here unless you were certain you could return us to 2012, would you?"

Simpson exchanged a glance with Doctor Michaels. "From our records, we know that a second anomaly leading to your time will occur within twenty-four hours. We believe you may lose a week, two at most."

"A week? Two?" Emily frowned at the stranger in front of her. "How can you not be certain when we will return if you know from the past that the anomaly will open?"

"The records of that anomaly were amongst those lost," Doctor Michaels answered on his boss's behalf. "Mr Lester assured us that the second anomaly would occur but his memories of the exact date you returned... Well, he was rather preoccupied at the time," the doctor continued after a short pause.

"Preoccupied?" Matt's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "His main team disappears into the future for a week or two and he's preoccupied with something else?"

An almost pitying look crossed over Simpson's features but was gone before they could question it. The sympathy in Doctor Michaels' eyes, however, was unmistakable. "Things won't be the same when you return as they were when you left," was all the doctor could say before Simpson cleared his throat and glared darkly at him. "They're here, Adrian, they can't change what happened. Knowing... It might be easier for them, if they're prepared in advance..."

"It's not a risk we can take, Doctor," Simpson interrupted cuttingly. "To that end, I'm sure you will all understand why I'll be assigning each of you a security detail during your short stay with us. It isn't because I think you'll be a threat to us now, but..."

"But if we learn something we shouldn't, we could be a threat to you in the past." Abby, unnerved by the conversation, glanced over her shoulder at her fiancé. Would they still be together in fifteen years, she wondered, or did fate have other plans in store for them?

Becker crossed his arms over his chest, not liking the way Doctor Michaels couldn't meet his gaze anymore. "Is a security detail really necessary, Simpson? We're here to do you a favour, after all. Treating us like criminals isn't the best way to inspire confidence in your hospitality."

"It's necessary," Simpson said after a moment. Because he was waiting for it, Becker caught his gaze slide over to the ADD again and felt something cold settle in the pit of his stomach. "Everything happens for a reason, Captain Becker." The ARC Director turned his attention back to the team from the past and smiled unpleasantly. "It is not for us to decide whether it suits us."

Simpson continued speaking for a while longer but Becker was no longer giving him his full attention. He took in enough to understood the gist of it – they'd be split into groups and each be questioned by representatives from different departments: menagerie, security and science during their short stay, then would be driven to the site where the anomaly was set to open in plenty of time to make their way through it – but his mind was elsewhere, drifting between the past where he'd lose two weeks and the future, that didn't feel like much to look forward to at all.

Once Simpson was finished, they were led out of the office by Michaels, who ushered them into Ops. Simpson watched from his office, Becker noticed, a scowl on his face as Michaels continued on to the ADD.

"Sophia, my dear, our guests have arrived. Do you have their security bands ready?"

The ADD chair turned around slowly, and Becker felt his jaw clench as its operator was revealed. She was young, and had the same reddish brown hair and bright blue eyes as Jess but had a bitter, haunted edge to her that he found himself praying he'd never see on Jess.

"They're right here, Doctor Michaels." The girl didn't smile and her gaze, Becker thought, was dismissive, almost cold. "I've taken the liberty of assigning rooms to them and I've sent the information to Lieutenant Smith." After handing the wristbands over, she got up from her chair and stepped down. "Unless there's anything else you need, I'm going on my break."

"That will be all, Sophia." Doctor Michaels smile was strained, his eyes sad as he watched her square her shoulders and stalk away without acknowledging the others. "You'll have to forgive her," the doctor apologised, still unable to look them in the eye. "It's a difficult time for her. It's a difficult time for us all."

As the others were issued with their wristbands, Becker watched the progress of the ADD operator as she made her way out of the room. He watched her pause as a man clad in black entered, her shoulders slumping for a moment. The soldier said something to her and Becker watched her lift a hand to her cheek, almost as if she was wiping away a tear. She shook her head when he said something else and continued out of the room, leaving the soldier staring after her, a troubled look on his face.

Suddenly, the soldier looked up, sensing Becker's gaze on him. He frowned for a moment before making his way towards them, making Doctor Michaels look up and smile in welcome.

"Ah, Lieutenant Smith. I'd like to introduce you to our guests, Matt Anderson, Emily Merchant, Connor Temple, Abby Maitland and Captain Becker." As he said the last name, Doctor Michaels winked almost knowingly at Becker. "I understand you prefer not to use your first name, Captain, so we'll do our best to respect that. Lieutenant Smith is our Head of Security," he continued, missing Becker tense at the introduction to the man doing his job.

"Reluctantly," the soldier, Lieutenant Smith, added with a rueful grin that didn't quite meet his eyes. He shook hands with everyone else but turned to Becker with a sharp salute. "It's an honour to meet you, Sir. You're something of a legend around here. You all are."

The team exchanged uneasy glances, unnerved more than flattered by the announcement. Legends at the ARC, they knew, were rarely so while they were still amongst the living.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Next part soon, I hope! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

Five hours into their stay and each member of the team was suffering from a strange combination of exhausted restlessness. At Matt's insistence, they'd been given a break from answering questions and had been allowed to group together in one of the rooms that had been assigned to them during their stay.

"I'll say something for this new ARC," Connor muttered, throwing himself down on one of the two couches in the room. "The on-site quarters are more comfortable than they used to be."

"I get the impression most of the staff live here," Emily replied, sitting down on the opposite couch. "No one has mentioned leaving to go home in the time we've been here."

"Maybe they're not allowed to." Connor moved his feet to let Abby sit down. "Maybe it's classed as giving something away that we're not supposed to know about."

Abby rolled her eyes when her fiancé replaced his feet, lying them across her lap, but didn't object or push them to the floor. She put her hand on his leg, needing the connection as they sat in the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings. "Does anyone else get the impression whatever happens to us, it isn't good? I swear one of the menagerie staff was going to say something but the other one stopped her."

"Doctor Michaels hasn't been back to see us." Emily gave Matt a small smile when he sat beside her and took her hand on impulse. "It is unnerving to know that these people perhaps know more about us than we do."

"It's unnerving that no one will answer our questions," Matt answered quietly. "I know we're not supposed to ask but there's something there, something I get the impression most of them want us to know but they've been ordered not to tell us."

"Something about what's happening while we're here," Becker agreed, his frustration clear even before he took it out on the chair he kicked part way across the room. "Damn it, we shouldn't be here."

Abby pushed Connor's feet aside at his outburst and got to her feet. "It'll be okay, Becker," she said quietly, hoping her smile was reassuring instead of betraying her own anxieties to the wound up soldier. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Becker turned to her, a scowl on his face. "Do you really want me to ask that, Abby? What if there's another anomaly at the ARC while we're gone? What if that's the incident that destroys their information? What if... What if someone gets hurt while we're here? Because we're not there to stop it?"

"By someone, you mean Jess," Connor interpreted with a knowing smirk. "She'll be fine, mate. We might not be there but there's still a boatload of people at the ARC in case something happens there. Your men know better than to let anything happen to her, or Lester."

"If only that were true, Professor Temple." The voice startled them all, causing Becker to spin and reach for an EMD that wasn't there and hadn't been since they'd woken up in the medical bay. The young ADD operator stood in the doorway of the room, Lieutenant Smith behind her. The former looked determined while the latter looked anxious, as though he wasn't sure they should be there. "By bringing you here, Mr Simpson and his bosses began a chain of events that led to the end of the ARC as you all know it and Captain Becker is right to be anxious. It's starting as we speak."

"Soph..." Lieutenant Smith glanced over his shoulder before nudging her gently into the room, letting the door close behind them. He held his wristband over the locking mechanism until it turned red, sealing them into the room. "Talk fast, yeah? Simpson's been watching you since they got here. It's only a matter of time before he realises where you've gone."

Matt stood and walked over to them, holding out his hand. "Matt Anderson. We weren't fully introduced earlier."

"I know who you are, Matt." Her smile was soft, her eyes sad. She looked more like a child than the moody young woman who'd blanked them in the hub earlier that day. "The oversight was deliberate on Doctor Michaels part, but only because he was following Simpson's orders. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sophia Elizabeth Parker, I'm the Field Co-ordinator here at the ARC."

"Parker...?" Becker pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against since they'd entered. "As in...?"

"Jess Parker, yes." Sophia looked at him and an unreadable expression passed over her features for a split second. "I know you noticed the resemblance earlier, Captain Becker. My grandfather told me you would. Adopted grandfather, that is, but then that's part of the story."

"You talk like her, too." The comment was made by Connor, who, seeing everyone else on their feet, also stood. "So, what are you to our Jess? A cousin, sister maybe? I thought Jess had a brother, not a sister, but I..."

"I'm her daughter," Sophia interrupted, her smile growing strained. "And if something doesn't change, my mother will die in five days in your time."

Abby reached instinctively for Connor's arm, her fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. For his part, Connor didn't comment, too busy staring at Sophia in shock. Matt slid an arm around Emily's waist, glancing at Becker in obvious concern as the soldier frowned at the first revelation, then froze at the second.

"How...?" Breaking the silence, Matt looked from Sophia to Lieutenant Smith, who'd moved to place a supportive hand on the young woman's shoulder. "Is there a creature incursion...?"

Sophia shook her head, her blue eyes – so like Jess's now they knew what to look for – clouded with equal parts anguish and pain. "No. There was no anomaly, no incursion. It happened outside of the ARC. My mum was killed by my father. Murdered. He... Here." As a tear escaped her eye and slid down her cheek, Sophia reached into her pocket and held out a small black Dictaphone. "Mum was wearing a black box when it happened. My grandfather made a copy of the audio data recorded on it and gave it to me to give to you. He told me not to listen to it but I couldn't... It's the last thing I have of her, the last thing I will have unless we can somehow change the past."

When Matt reached out and took it, Sophia wiped her cheek with her hand, trying to regain her composure. Lieutenant Smith took a step closer to her, his hand moving so his arm was wrapped around her shoulders. "Come on, Soph. You have to go."

She gave him a small nod and allowed him to guide her towards the door, turning back to face them before he could unlock it. "You'll have questions once you listen to it, about me and my father. I'll try and answer them but it was more important that I get that to you. My grandfather seems to think it was something you all needed to hear, even if it can't be changed. Apparently he tried to get you to listen to it before but you refused," the last part was delivered to Becker, and Sophia bit her lip in a way that was so reminiscent of Jess, it caused his heart to ache. "It's important you listen to it now, Captain. You need to know... Even if you can't save my mum, maybe you can let her save you. It's what she would have wanted."

She turned and let Lieutenant Smith usher her out of the room. The door closed behind them, leaving the team in silence, staring numbly at the small recorder in Matt's hand.

* * *

Lester sat at his desk, nodding as he listened to the voice on the other end of the telephone. He watched through the glass wall of his office as Jess made her way to the ADD, studying her to see if there was any evidence she'd had as disturbed night as he had.

It was there, he thought, if you knew to look for it, but the girl was good at hiding what she really felt. _Too_ good, he decided, making a mental note to keep a closer eye on her in future. She was taking the team's departure hard, as was he, but with the added strain she was under, Lester was concerned a bad creature incursion might be enough to break her.

And that simply wouldn't do.

"So what you're saying is that if we can prove she's financially stable, with a solid support network of reliable individuals, her chances of regaining custody of the child are good?" As the voice of his solicitor answered in the affirmative, Lester smiled, pleased to have good news for once. "Leave it with me, George. I can have a folder full of character references and testimonies regarding Miss Parker before midday. Yes, I know it will be expensive, particularly if he contests it but I'm confident he won't. And if he does..." Lester's gaze strayed to the ADD again, watching Jess begin to review the footage of the anomaly again. "It'll be worth the expense," he finished quietly. "Families are meant to be together, not kept apart."

He was kept on the phone to his solicitor for a few minutes more before hanging up with a satisfied grin on his face. He started getting to his feet, ready to give to good news to Jess and hopefully see a genuine smile light up her face only to sit back down as the phone began to ring.

"James Lester." The grin died instantly as the voice on the other end spoke, his jaw growing tense as the conversation continued. "Yes. Yes, I'm here. I understand. Yes. No, I'll inform her myself. Thank you." He hung up a little harder than necessary and glared at the receiver. "Thanks for nothing."

He sat at his desk for a few moments longer, mentally preparing himself for what he had to do. Clearing his throat, he picked up the phone and dialled the extension of the ADD.

"Miss Parker," he said formally when she answered, watching her through the glass. "If you could spare a moment, I'd like to see you in my office."

* * *

_So that's part of the reveal... please don't hate it/me for it - I know it's a cliche but... Well, anyway, I hope you keep reading.  
Also, I'm having a few doubts re: the rating of the story - I don't know if I'm being overly cautious or not so opinions would be welcome :)  
_


	4. Chapter 4

_I've changed the rating of the story to a T - thank you to those who commented letting me know their opinions - but if you think it should be changed back, let me know :) And, of course, thank you for the reviews on the story, too. I'm completely obsessed with this fandom at the moment but still a little wary about writing it right._

* * *

The recording on the tape wasn't easy listening. He hadn't expected it to be, not after Sophia – Jess's daughter – had told them Jess had been wearing it when she died, but it was still somehow worse that what he'd been expecting.

It started with the sound of footsteps, high heels clicking against concrete. Jess's voice, trembling, called out for someone named Jason to stop hiding and show himself. She muttered under her breath, something about _'it all being over soon'_ and then gasped, suddenly.

Sophia's name was a choked sob, followed by the rustle of material as she moved. They heard her murmur reassurances, heard a child's voice whisper that she was scared. Sophia was ordered outside by Jess, accompanied by the jangle of keys in the background as she was told to get into the car and _wait_.

Not for Jess. Becker could hear it in her voice as she whispered an _'I love you'_ to her daughter; she knew it would be the last time they saw each other.

A door closed and a man laughed – Jason, they all assumed. It was a cruel, evil sound, accompanied by another gasp from Jess, this one more from pain than in shock

_"I've waited, Jessie. Waited so long for this."_ The man's voice was close, too close. Slick and oozing, Jess's answering whimper made Becker's grip on the arms of his chair tighten. _"I always knew you'd come back to me, Jessie. Always knew you'd realise where you belong, that you're mine."_

_"I am not yours, Jason. I never was and I never will be."_ Her voice shook but the steel in it made Becker proud. If only for a second, it felt like Jess was there, in the room with them.

She cried out suddenly and the team winced. They listened as someone was dragged – Jess – across the floor and then the sound of a car boot being opened. There was a dull thud as Jess, black box hidden somewhere on her person, was put into the boot with little care for her well-being, followed by the metallic thump of it being closed.

Becker forced himself to listen, straining to hear anything that might help the picture in his mind get sharper, clearer. He could hear her breathing, low and steady, and imagined for a second that her heart was beating in time with his.

As the car engine stopped, Becker wondered if the recording had been edited; it didn't seem like Jason had been driving for any length of time. His suspicion was confirmed when the next sound they heard wasn't the car boot being opened again but was a pained whimper from Jess.

_"Please find me,"_ her voice was only a sliver of what they were used to. Pain, fear, desperation, misery and resignation wove through it in equal measures. _"I don't want to die. I don't want..."_

More silence. A scream, a cry. Jess begging, pleading. Sobbing the words _'no'_ and _'stop'_ over and over again as the sound of a vicious slap and material being torn apart filled the room. Abruptly, it was silenced, as if the recording had been paused.

Definitely edited, Becker realised, in an attempt at erasing the worst of what was done to her. His imagination, however, unwillingly filled in the gaps with horrifying detail.

_"If you're listening to this... If anyone realises and finds it..."_ Jess's voice again, as weak and hoarse and breathless as only impending death could make it, seemed to fill the room. Though it was quiet, no louder than a whisper, the team sat in perfect silence, listening intently, reluctantly to every word. _"I hope you find what you're looking for, Matt, that you get the answers that bring you peace."_

The team leader stared at the recorder on the table, his normally noncommittal features arranged in a stunned expression. Emily took his hand, tears shimmering in her dark eyes.

_"You're... You are a good man, Matt Anderson, and you deserve the chance to live the life you have. Don't... Don't put it off, or wait till the time's right... It might never be and then you'll never know... never know what future you could've had."_

There was a pause, an intake of breath that sounded painful.

_"Stop... stop living in the past, Emily. I know you're scared of the world you've found yourself in, that you don't feel... don't feel that you belong here but you do. You do. Your place is with us, with Matt... You could be happy and deserve to be... Both of you... Both..."_

Her voice trailed off, a bout of coughing wracking her. She was suffocating, Becker thought, recognising the sound of someone with fluid, probably blood, slowly filling their lungs from his time serving on the front line.

_"Abby... Connor... I'm sorry... Sorry I won't be there... for the wedding. Know it'll be amazing, that you'll look beautiful, Abby... Thank you both, for everything. Kept me from going crazy in my flat on my own, without Soph... So grateful. Wish... wish I'd got the chance to say how much... You're all so good, so lovely... Best friends, all of you, best friends I could've hoped..."_

Abby turned her head, hiding her face against Connor's shoulder. Her fiancé wiped his cheeks but the tears kept falling regardless.

_"Lester. Lester, thank you. For everything. You... You're nice, really. Best boss... and you... you were always more of a Dad to me than my own ever was. Always thought of you that way, though you'd fire me for saying it."_ Jess sighed, her voice growing softer. _"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't... was never enough for you, Becker. That I never said... You... You've got no idea how good you are, how brilliant..."_ Her voice broke, on a sob or gasp, Becker wasn't sure. He sat on the edge of his seat, his hands clenched into fists as he squeezed his eyes shut, his whole being focused on the recorder and Jess's dying words. _"Not your fault, any... any of it. Can't save everyone but you make such... such a difference. Please, Becker, don't... Don't shut them out. Please, for me. Live. You are loved and you deserve to be, even if... even if you don't believe it. I'm sorry... so sorry for not saying... for being a coward... Please let someone love you, and let yourself love them, the way... the way I do... Love you... The way I love you and always have. Always will."_

A tear fell from his closed eyelid and he let it slide, untouched, down his cheek. It dripped onto his hand but Becker didn't move, barely breathing, certain that if he did, he'd fall irrevocably to pieces.

_"And Sophie, my Sophia. My baby..." _The anguish in her tone would have broken their hearts if they weren't already aching. _"I'm so, so sorry, my Sophie. So sorry I let you down. I know I promised... I said we'd be together again but I can't... I never wanted to lie to you, to break that promise... You are everything, my beautiful little girl... Know that no matter what, no matter how you came into this world... You were my strength, Sophia, and I never regretted... Not once... I love you so much more than you will ever know sweetheart, and I wish... I wish..."_

Her laboured breathing stopped. Jess was gone.

Static crackled and filled the air but no one moved to turn the recorder off. No one could.

Emily clung to Matt's hand, staring into space, grieving for the friend she wished she'd had more time to know. Matt returned the grip just as fiercely, his jaw clenched as he pictured Jess's warm and welcoming smile in his mind, the first person he'd met at the ARC, the first true friend he'd made in his new life.

Abby curled into Connor, clinging to him, weeping silently against his shoulder as he stroked her back, his own tears soaking her hair. Another friend lost, another tragedy they would somehow have to muddle through together, mourning the young woman who'd taken them in, given them a home and her friendship without hesitation, asking for nothing in return.

Alone, Becker sat with his eyes closed. He could so easily see her in his mind, her bright eyes and unassuming smile, holding her hand out to him on that first day at the new ARC. He could describe in perfect detail the outfit she'd been wearing, right down to the ridiculously high heeled shoes he'd at some point fallen in love with.

Just as he'd fallen in love with her, effortlessly, silently. Without really noticing it. One day he'd woken up and the world was no longer black and white but bright and colourful, flourishing and beautiful.

Just like Jess herself.

_"Ahem." _The sound of someone clearing his voice startled them all into looking at the recorder. _"If you're listening to me, then I assume Simpson and his idiots have decided to go ahead regardless, knowing that by bringing you into the future, they're condemning Miss Parker to death."_

"Lester."Abby pulled away from Connor, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "That's Lester."

_"I asked Sophia to ensure you got this because I thought it was important you finally heard what Jess wanted to say. When this recording was first given to me, I asked you all to listen and all but one of you did. You always were stubborn, Becker. It's a quality I did so admire in you. And yes, you heard correctly, I used the past tense'. We lost you, physically at least, seven months after Jess. You were already gone in every other way before that. I asked Sophia to make sure you heard this message because I wanted you to know you'll be letting Jess down if you allow that to happen again. It is the last thing she would want for you, Captain, and it was the end of everything as we know it here at the ARC. After Becker's death, Connor and Abby left for pastures new. Professor Temple returned to England one year ago after his wife was killed in an accident in the safari park in which they both worked. Matt and Miss Merchant stepped through an anomaly one day and simply didn't return. I know Simpson doesn't want the past to change but in my view, it has to. This is not the way it should be, people, and if you let it happen again, I'll see to it that you're all fired."_

The empty threat had the desired effect of making them smile, even if it didn't – couldn't – last long due to the circumstances.

_"Sophia can answer any questions you may have but time is of the essence. She and Lieutenant Smith have been entrusted with the technology used by Helen Cutter to open an anomaly, given to me by Danny Quinn when he returned to the ARC for a third time several years ago. It will only work once, people. Make it count."_

The recording stopped. The team looked at one another, their eyes drying as tears were replaced with determination.

* * *

Shocked was an understatement. Horrified, scared, stunned... They were all words that came to mind to describe how she was feeling but none of them were somehow enough to convey the myriad of emotions she felt.

"Jason's free?" Jess wished for the numbness of the previous evening – even more than that, she wished for what was left of Lester's depleted supply of whiskey. "But how? He got seven years and it's only been four."

"Good behaviour, apparently." Lester rolled his eyes in disbelief as he said it. "My solicitor only did a cursory check. If he hadn't, we wouldn't have known."

And that in itself was a terrifying thought.

"Your solicitor?" Jess blinked, her expression confused. "Why was your solicitor checking on Jason?"

Lester merely looked at her. "I told you I would help, Miss Parker. I may be many things but I assure you I am a man of my word."

Jess's cheeks flushed at the hurt tone he used and she shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I know you said you'd help but I didn't ask you to get legal advice on it. I can't let you get solicitors involved on my behalf, Lester, I can't afford it. I have a representative the court appointed. Anyone else would mean spending money I'm trying to save so I can prove I can provide for her myself."

"If you're quite finished...?" Lester didn't wait for her to agree that she was. "George is a long-term family friend and he owes me a favour. Several, in fact. He has agreed to represent you in this matter, at no cost to yourself. I said I would help and I will."

She closed her eyes momentarily, determined not to cry in front of him again. At least not in the same twenty-four hours as her last embarrassing meltdown, she vowed. Opening her eyes, Jess took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "My father and stepmother need to be told," she said eventually. "Sophia needs to be protected. I don't think he'll go after her but they need to be prepared, just in case."

"I can take care of that." Lester nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly. There were several things he could think of that he'd like to say to Jess's father while he made that phone call and not one of them was pleasant. "We need to discuss your own safety, Jess. In the absence of our Head of Security," he paused and watched her wince, wishing momentarily he could choose his words more carefully. "I would like to assign you a security detail, and I would like to request that you move temporarily out of your flat. You can either stay here at the ARC or use the company flat if you prefer. It's one thing we were able to hold onto after the disastrous Prospero incident."

"Is it really a request?" Jess asked quietly, a small smile playing on her lips as she waited his reply.

"It is until you say no," Lester answered matter-of-factly. "And then it becomes an order." His expression and his tone softened considerably. "I know what he did, Jess. I know what he's capable of. I would consider it a personal favour if you would consent both to staying at the ARC and to having a security detail until a more permanent solution can be found to this problem."

Her expression sobered immediately. "In legal terms, it isn't a problem, is it? He was released, he didn't escape. The police can't and won't do anything about him unless he does something wrong."

"There are other methods we can look at." Lester dismissed her concern almost flippantly, hoping to hide that it was one he shared. "George is looking into the possibility of a restraining order..."

"But I won't get Sophia back if I go on record saying I think he's a threat." Despair coloured her tone. "No judge is going to believe that I'm more capable of taking care of her than my father is. He could afford around the clock security if he wanted to, armed guards patrolling the grounds..."

"You have an elite team of soldiers at your disposal through your position here at the ARC," Lester countered. "And, when the team returns – and they will, I assure you – you will have five extremely overprotective teammates, two of them with military training, willing to stand guard over yourself and your daughter every second of every day."

A ghost of a smile flickered over Jess's lips, shy and timid and not at all like the confident young woman he remembered from her initial interview. "Do you really think they'll want to be involved? I'd understand if they can't forgive me for keeping Sophia a secret from them for so long. I feel like I've betrayed them so God knows what they're going to think."

"Once they know everything, they will understand." He prayed silently that he wasn't lying to her. "They may be a little surprised but they will come around. Everyone has a secret. Some are more acceptable than others."

"I hope everyone feel the same way." Jess sighed and bit her bottom lip in apprehension. "When they get home."

"Which they will. Soon." Lester glanced towards the ADD, willing its alarm to go off and prove him right, sighing when it didn't. "They'll be home soon. Just you wait and see."


	5. Chapter 5

_Just want to say a huge thanks to Prawn Crackers, Mijo, WildGypsyWoman and whomever 'Guest' is for their reviews and support on this story, and also to those who've added this story to their favourites/follows. As much as I'm loving writing it, I'm finding it incredibly nerve wracking!_

* * *

Lieutenant Smith looked up when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps but didn't look surprised to see the man stalking towards him. The young soldier watched him warily from his place beside Sophia as the latter kept her attention fixated on the computer screens in front of her. One glance over his shoulder at Simpson's office told him why, and Becker bit back a growl of frustration.

"He has a meeting with the Minister in fifteen minutes." Sophia spoke quietly, only just loud enough to be heard over the soft hum of the machines around her. "If he's going to be there on time, and he always is, he'll have to leave any minute now."

"I wanted to ask you about the EMDs, Sir." Lieutenant Smith spoke suddenly, loudly. Becker didn't need to look behind him to know Simpson had left his office. "We've had some concerns about their effectiveness during convergence. Would you recommend we increase our stocks of standard weaponry instead?"

"Maybe as well as EMDs, for back up only." Becker kept his gaze on the new Head of ARC Security and didn't glance at Sophia as Simpson approached. "As loathe as I am to admit it, the EMDs are just as effective. Matt proved they can be used to take down a fully grown adult T-Rex after all."

"Really, Sir?" Smith's surprise appeared genuine but there was a glint of something in his dark gaze Becker thought might have been amusement. "I haven't read that report. I'll look forward to asking Mr Anderson about it later."

"Do that." It was an unmistakable order. Becker reluctantly turned to face Simpson, who had moved to stand at his elbow behind the ADD chair. "Captain Becker, I thought you were taking a break with the rest of your team. If you feel rested enough, I'm sure Lieutenant Smith and his men have more questions they'd like to ask."

'Questions that can be asked elsewhere,' Simpson's pointed expression added silently.

"If you'll come this way, Captain? I thought I could show you the armoury, maybe get some advice from you on our inventory?" Lieutenant Smith barely acknowledged his boss, earning a scowl from the man in question and a smirk from Becker.

He reluctantly allowed himself to be steered away from the hub, though Becker looked over his shoulder to see Simpson lean in to speak to Sophia. From the expression on the boss's face, whatever he was saying wasn't pleasant.

"Just keep walking," Smith advised, his shoulders ramrod straight. "Don't give Simpson the excuse he needs to relieve her from her post. We need her to stay at the ADD if we're going to send you back sooner than planned."

"I take it there's no love lost between you and Simpson." At the younger soldier's grudging nod, Becker continued. "Can I ask why? I understand Sophia's reasons for hating the man but not yours."

"You've heard the legend of King Midas? The man who turned everything he touched into gold?" Smith opened the door to the armoury, standing back to let Becker enter in front of him. "Simpson is the exact opposite," Smith continued as the door slid shut behind him. "Everything he touches, he destroys. The ARC, the future. I've see what consequences his actions have for mankind, Captain Becker. I was sent here to make sure that doesn't happen."

Becker leaned against one of the work benches, a piece of the puzzle falling into place as he studied the young man in front of him. "You're from the future."

"I am." Lieutenant Smith mimicked his position, crossing his arms over his chest. "My parents sent me back to this time, this place, so I could meet you and your team. I'm to make sure you change the past so this future doesn't happen. Simpson can't be allowed to take control of the ARC, Captain. This isn't just about saving Jess; it's about saving the world."

They stared at one another in silence, with Becker studying Smith to try and judge whether or not he could be believed and Smith studying the man his parents had told him about, the one they'd said he could trust with the truth.

The door to the armoury opened and both men straightened. Emily walked in first, followed by Matt. Abby and Connor were next, with Sophia finishing the group and closing the door behind them. She took a small device from her pocket and pointed it at the security camera in the corner of the room, pressing a button on it until the light showing it was active went off.

His expression deceptively calm, it was Lieutenant Smith who spoke first, moving to stand at Sophia's side. "If you've got any questions, now would be the time to ask. You've got less than twenty minutes before we plan to open the anomaly that will send you home."

* * *

The temporary quarters at the ARC were designed to be just that: temporary. Though kept up-to-date furnishing-wise, they weren't intended to be used on a semi-permanent basis and didn't have much in the way of storage space. Jess frowned, surveying the suitcase on the bed and then the open wardrobe.

Lester had told her to pack enough clothes for a week so she had – she just wasn't convinced they were going to fit in the tiny space designed for clothes.

She supposed she should just be pleased that Burton hadn't managed to talk Lester into transforming the rarely used rooms into more labs for the scientists. Lester had argued that they were necessary, for those endless days and long nights when the staff of the ARC didn't have time between shifts to go back to their own homes. Philip had only been swayed when Lester had pointed out that it was the scientists themselves who were more likely to work all night and therefore needed a suitable place to stay at the facility when they did so.

Glancing around the room, Jess felt a surge of empathy for Emily, remembering when the time traveller's only home in this time was a room at the ARC, one of those even smaller than the one Jess had found herself in. Jess's room was comprised of a small sitting area with basic kitchen facilities, a tiny bedroom with only a single wardrobe and an even smaller en-suite bathroom, the quarters would be considered luxurious by military standards but weren't suitable for anything long-term. Thinking of her friend and the single-room suite she'd been given, Jess kicked off her shoes and sat down on the bed beside her suitcase, sighing heavily as the ache in her chest grew worse.

She missed them, more than she'd thought possible. How she'd ever through she would be able to willingly walk away, Jess wasn't. She knew it would break her heart completely if they weren't able to accept Sophia and she was forced to leave the ARC and the people who worked there, knowing she'd do it for her daughter's sake but that every day she spent apart from them would be horrendous.

If that were to happen, Jess thought, it would be a bittersweet ending and not the happily ever after she'd always dreamt of.

Digging through the clothes and shoes in the suitcase, she unearthed the photo album and small box she'd stashed at the bottom of the bag. Lester had advised her not to leave anything of value behind, just in case, so she'd dug the small box out from under her bed and grabbed the photograph album from the bookshelf in her bedroom.

She lifted the lid on the small box and picked up the small bracelet inside it, the identity tag Sophia had been given at the hospital. It was so small, so tiny, Jess struggled to believe it had ever been worn by her daughter. Cupping it gently with one hand, she looked at the other items lying in the tissue paper lined box. A lock of Sophia's hair, the first curl that had ever been cut, and fading copies of the scans Jess had had during her pregnancy.

She couldn't count how many times she'd taken the items out of the box and wept over them as she wished she was holding her daughter instead of the reminders that they were living apart. The small box had helped her through three years without Sophia and Jess hoped she wouldn't need it to get through any more.

Swallowing the lump that rose in her throat, she carefully replaced the bracelet and shut the lid, placing the box in the top drawer of the unit beside her bed. Turning her attention to the photo album, she opened it to the first page, smiling in spite of herself at the loose photograph that lay just inside its cover.

The team – all but Lester – looked back. It was the only picture she had of them all, one that was taken a few months ago during an impromptu celebration following the convergence – and the missing train incident. They were all exhausted but happy and it showed in the photograph. Matt looked pleased but wasn't exactly smiling, the events of convergence having taken its toll. Beside him, Emily smiled demurely, her head leaning against his shoulder. In contrast, Abby and Connor beamed at the camera, their recent engagement first and foremost on their minds. Becker was sporting that particular smirk that she found both appealing and frustrating in equal measures but it was the way he wasn't looking directly at the camera that made her love the photograph so much. His intense gaze was fixed on her and Jess herself, who was the first to admit she rarely shied away from the camera, was gazing back, a blush staining her cheeks.

She couldn't remember exactly what he'd said, just that he'd been flirting with her, relaxed and relieved and for once not trying to keep a wall up between them. She'd wanted to tell him then, to tell them all, but she'd been scared of their reaction, worried about ruining the moment, and had told herself it wouldn't do any harm to wait just a little bit longer.

Moving the picture to the side, she flicked through the pages idly, watching the progression as Sophia grew from a baby into the little girl she was. It was oddly reassuring to see herself in so many of the photographs, featuring in so many of the important moments in Sophia's life despite them living apart or most of it.

Her father had allowed her regular contact, much to his wife's disagreement. If she was honest, Jess suspected he'd never truly wanted to take on the responsibility of raising his granddaughter; that had been her stepmother's wish, not his. Unwilling to risk her figure and have children of her own, Maria Parker had insisted that Jess wouldn't be able to take care of herself let alone a baby and her father, after months of hearing it, had started to believe it was true.

Jess still remembered coming home from a gruelling day at university to find her stepmother in possession of Sophia, refusing to relinquish the eight month old baby girl. She remembered the smugly satisfied smile on Maria's face when she'd told Jess that her father needed to see her in his study, remembered the panic and fear she'd felt when she'd walked in and found not only her father but his solicitor there waiting to speak to her.

_"It isn't forever, Jessica," _Lewis Parker had told her gravely. _"Maria and I just want to help. We'll take care of Sophia for you until you're in a better position to take care of her yourself. You'll still be her mother, Jessica. I assure you I wouldn't want it to be any other way."_

_"I don't want you to take care of her for me. I want to take care of her myself. She's my daughter, Daddy. Please..."_

_"It's for the best, Jessica. Maria thoughtfully pointed out that you need time to recover from your experiences and you can't do that if you're running yourself into the ground, splitting your days between studying and bringing up a child."_ Her father's tone and expression had left her in no doubt that his mind was made up and no amount of pleading would change it. _"It is only temporary, and for Sophia's sake. If you love her as much as you claim to, you will agree that this is for the best."_

_"How long? How temporary?" _She still remembered the desperation, the pain in her chest at the thought of saying goodbye to her daughter. _"Until I graduate? Move out? What do I have to do to prove I can take care of her?"_

_"I've had Geoffrey draw up an agreement, a contract relating to custody of Sophia. We will review the situation when you turn twenty-one. If you can prove to me then that you are capable of taking care of yourself and Sophia, I will gladly return custody of Sophia to you."_

_"Twenty-one?" _Jess remembered practically falling into the seat her father's solicitor had pushed towards her, her legs unable to support her weight any longer. She remembered hating him at the time, partly blaming the solicitor for the situation she was in but, thinking back, she realised that the disapproval in Geoffrey's eyes hadn't been directed at her. _"That's four years. I can't be away from her for that long, Dad. Please. Please don't take her away from me. She's all I have..."_

_"Don't be so dramatic, Jessica. You sound just like your mother when you do that."_ And he'd hated it, she remembered, whenever she said or did anything that reminded him of the woman who'd left him and not looked back. "_It's four years. Four years for you to prove yourself, as both a responsible adult and a good mother."_

Four years. Jess had lifted at home for the first of those years, taking care of Sophia whenever her father and stepmother had been away. After graduating at the tender age of eighteen, she'd reluctantly moved out and into the flat her much loved and much missed grandmother had left for her in her will. At nineteen, she'd begun work at the ARC, throwing herself into her job. It'd been an exciting and much needed distraction and a promising prospect in proving to her father that she could hold a job long-term – end of the world notwithstanding, of course.

She'd counted down the months and had jumped at the chance at having company, even if only for a short time, in the form of Abby and Connor when they'd needed a place to stay. She'd made regular trips to her father's house whenever she was able, grabbing an hour, a day, a weekend with her daughter whenever she could – and using the phone and internet whenever she couldn't get away from London.

It had been a stipulation of the custody agreement, one suggested by Geoffrey, that regular contact be maintained between mother and daughter. She hadn't missed a birthday or Christmas and looked forward to those visits, counting on Sophia's smile to lighten even the darkest of days.

The four years her father had stipulated were almost up. Forty-seven months had passed, two hundred and four weeks. There were only four weeks left to go and she'd be able to walk into her father's house and hopefully walk back out with Sophia's hand in hers.

Four weeks. Twenty-eight days.

Jess heaved a sigh and closed the album, putting it into the drawer beside the box. Twenty-eight days and the nightmare would hopefully be over.

She got to her feet and turned to the hastily folded clothes in her suitcase. Grabbing a few dresses, she walked over to the wardrobe and begun the dubious task of somehow fitting everything into the small space provided.

Three dresses were neatly put on hangers; the fourth fell to the floor. Jess raced out of the room, her bare feet slipping on the floor as the alarm of the ADD filled the hallways of the ARC.


	6. Chapter 6

"How do we know you really are Jess's daughter?" The question asked by Abby caused Becker to look at her in surprise. To his mind, there was no question about it – not only because of the recording but because the longer he spent looking at Sophia, the more he was able to see the strong resemblance between mother and daughter. "You're older than fifteen," Abby continued, her tone suspicious. "And with Jess supposedly about to die, you must have already been born to exist in our time. If that was true, she would have told us. We would know you. Me and Connor lived with her for almost a year..."

"I'm nineteen, the same age my mother was when she started working here. The reason you don't know me is because my mum's dad and stepmother gained custody when I was a baby. Maria, mum's stepmother, wanted a baby without the trouble of actually having one so when I was born, she decided I was her chance. Because of the circumstances and because she was so young... Mum didn't really have a choice. She reluctantly agreed that they could look after me until she was able to prove herself to her dad. She had until she was twenty-one, and on her birthday, she always said she'd come and get me and we'd be together." Sophia cleared her throat but held Abby's gaze. "My mum died three weeks before that could happen."

Abby took a step closer to the teenager, away from Connor's side. "If that's true, why didn't she tell us? Why didn't we see some sign that you existed?"

"It was too painful for her. To be constantly reminded that I was alive but we weren't allowed to be together..." Sophia shrugged and wrapped her arms around her middle. "I thought when I was younger that maybe mum was ashamed of me, that that's why she was so reluctant to tell you all but my grandfather said that she was just scared. She didn't know how you'd all react, both to me and to how I came to be."

"How you came to be?" Emily repeated, an eyebrow arched. "Are you referring to being born out of wedlock?"

The laugh that burst from Sophia was short and bitter. She shook her head, her arms tightening around herself even as Lieutenant Smith edged closer. "I'm sorry, Emily, but being born out of wedlock was the least of my mum's concerns. It's not really my place to say but you need to know and maybe it'll be easier for her if it comes from me instead." She forced herself to look up from the floor, meeting each of their gazes in turn, lingering a little uncertainly on Becker before focusing on the woman who'd asked the question. "My mum was raped when she was sixteen. Jason, my father, was a student in her class at university, four years older than her. He... He developed an obsession with her, wanting what he couldn't have. So he took it. And I'm the result. He stalked her, waited until the opportunity arose and then kidnapped her. She was with him for three days. I don't know if she'd ever have told me what happened but it was in her file. Not the one here at the ARC, the one my grandfather had access to. I hacked into it when I was thirteen and read what he did to her. How she never hated me, I don't know."

"She loved you, more than anything." Smith wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her against him while glaring at the others, daring them to argue. "You heard the tape, Soph, and you know what Lester said. You know how much she loved you, how much she wanted you with her. She could never hate you or blame you for what he did."

"Maybe, but I'm the reason she died. I'm the reason she went to meet with him." Sophia turned her face into his shoulder, hiding the tears the others could hear in her voice. "If she hadn't tried to save me, my mum would still be alive."

"Not if anything had happened to you." Forgetting they had company, Smith wrapped both arms around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "She loved you so much it would have killed her to lose you. Lester said she'd been willing to leave the ARC and everyone there if it meant being with you. If she'd been willing to do that, Soph, she'd have been willing to do anything."

"That's the second time you've mentioned Lester." Matt glanced at Becker, a concerned frown marring his brow at the distant expression on the soldier's face. "Simpson said he wasn't directly involved with the ARC anymore but you seem to know a lot about him."

"Of course I do." Sophia pulled away from Lieutenant Smith and turned back to them, her cheeks damp. "He's my grandfather. Adopted. He was helping make sure mum would get custody of me, working with a solicitor so Lewis – my mum's dad – and Maria - her stepmother - couldn't back out of the agreement. After she died, Lewis wanted nothing more to do with me. He felt guilty, blamed himself. From what I heard, he divorced Maria and hit the bottle pretty hard. He died a couple of years ago. James Lester and his wife, Eleanor, took me in. They raised me but they always treated me more like a granddaughter than a daughter because they didn't want to try and take mum's place. My grandfather took her death really hard. He left the ARC to help look after me and because it wasn't the same without mum and all of you. When he found out you'd all been purposely brought here, knowing what was going to happen, he was furious. When they wouldn't change their minds, he came up with this plan to change things. To save her, to save all of you."

There was a momentary pause as the team absorbed the information they'd been given.

"I still don't understand why she didn't tell us." Connor looked between the faces of the people staring at him, the ones he knew and the ones he didn't. "She's, what, got a couple of weeks before she turns twenty-one? She should've told us already."

"She was scared," Sophia repeated, a defensive edge to her tone. "Not only to tell you about me but to tell you about my father. She was scared you wouldn't look at her the same way, that you'd think... I don't know... that you think maybe she'd done something to deserve it or was no longer worthy of your friendship. I don't really understand it myself but my grandmother once told me that women who go through what my mum went through get scared about telling other people in case in changes how what they think about them, how they feel." Her gaze flickered to Becker, then darted away. "She'd made plans to leave with me, to move out of the city and start again somewhere else if you guys couldn't accept it. She wouldn't have done that if she hadn't been worried on some level that you'd reject her and me once you found out the truth."

While they were digesting her reply, Lieutenant Smith glanced at his watch and moved to the door. "We've got to get going. If we're going to do this..."

"What happened to Jason?" It was the first time Becker had spoken since the others had come into the room, the first time he'd looked at anyone since Sophia's revelations. He looked at the teenager, into blue eyes so like Jess's. "After. What happened to him?"

Sophia held his gaze, her expression just as serious as his. "His body was pulled out of the Thames two months after we buried my mother. Cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head. He owed a lot of people a lot of money so the case was never closed. It could've been anyone but I always wanted to thank whoever it was. It didn't bring my mum back but it meant I've been able to live my life without having to look over my shoulder, wondering if he was going to come after me since he couldn't have her."

Becker held her gaze for a long moment. He nodded eventually, turning his attention to Lieutenant Smith. "Where do you want us?"

"The device is waiting in one of the unused labs. We thought if it was here at the ARC, Sophia could work her magic at the ADD and make sure no one comes to investigate before we're ready for them." Smith looked at Sophia. "We'll do it as planned, at exactly five minutes past."

"I'll be ready." Sophia gave him a tremulous smile and walked towards him. "Good luck, Edward."

"You, too." Conscious of the eyes of curious eyes of the team on them, Smith took her hand and lifted it to his mouth, brushing a chaste kiss to her knuckles. "Hopefully if this works, I'll see you in a few years time."

"I'm counting on it." She blushed at the gesture and reluctantly pulled her hand away, letting him walk out of the room. Emily and Matt moved passed her, the former giving her a small smile of reassurance while the latter nodded in acknowledgement.

"My father was called Edward," Sophia heard Emily say to Lieutenant Smith as they walked along the corridor. "It is a good name."

"So my mother tells me."

Abby and Connor approached her slowly, the couple holding hands as they mentally prepared themselves to go home and change the past.

"I hope we see you soon," Connor told her sincerely. "You know we'll support your mum, right? Nothing you've told us will change how we feel about her, or how we'll feel about you, once we meet you, that is."

Sophia smiled, a lump rising in her throat. "Make sure you tell her that," she suggested softly.

"We will." Abby returned her smile and surprised her by moving forward to hug her quickly. "I can't wait to meet you."

The couple left the armoury, both of them shooting concerned looks at the remaining member of their team. Becker started to move past her but hesitated, turning to face her before leaving the room.

His dark eyes were serious, both pained and determined. "I won't let her die," he said eventually, his words a promise. "I'll make it right, for both of you."

"I know you will." Her eyes stung with tears she refused to let fall. "I hope I get to know you this time, Captain. My grandfather speaks very highly of you and my mum used to tell me about you, all of you, when I was little. I used to count down the days till I could meet you all, see for myself if you were really as brilliant as she used to say you are."

"Keep counting," Becker advised softly. "You'll get there soon." He reached for her, drawing her into his arms briefly. "Your mum would – will - be proud of you."

Unable to say anything, Sophia watched him go, her throat tight with tears. Shaking herself mentally, she ran towards the Ops room and the ADD, ready to play her part in resetting the future.

* * *

Her fingers flew over the keyboard, her heart racing as the ADD slowly identified the location of the anomaly it had detected. Her eyes grew wide, her jaw dropping, as the coordinates appeared on screen and suddenly zoomed in on the map of the UK. Turning in her chair, Jess almost hit Lester, who'd left his office when he saw her running and had moved to stand behind her.

"It's here. It's here in the ARC." She turned back to the computer, quickly dispatching a team to investigate as she searched the CCTV feeds from the cameras in the building to get a visual on it. Her breath caught at the sight of the golden anomaly in one of the labs and it was all Jess could do to stay in her chair and watch from a distance.

Sensing her mixed emotions, Lester moved a hand to her shoulder, both in silent support and to keep her where she was. They both watched the screen intently, watching as Becker's soldiers took up position as the anomaly flickered and a shadow passed over its heart.

The ADD beeped and Jess jumped, a small sound escaping her. She pressed a few keys and her hand flew to her mouth at the result. "We're getting the same date range as the other anomaly, the one the others went through." To the soldiers gathered in the lab, Jess issued a quick warning before Lester could make it an order. "If a small silver ball comes through, evacuate the room immediately. I'll have gas masks on stand-by in case you need to them lock the anomaly."

"Understood, Jess." Becker's second-in-command and her newly assigned security detail, Sergeant Thompson, acknowledged her with a nod. The soldier kept his EMD pointed at the anomaly as the shards of light began to shift.

Matt walked through first, holding his hands up to show he wasn't armed. Emily and Abby followed, with Connor on their heels. There was a short delay and then Becker made his way through, seconds before the anomaly closed and disappeared.

"They're back." Jess released the breath she'd been holding, drinking in the sight of the team as they exchanged a few words with Thompson. "They came back."

"Quite right, too." Lester gave her shoulder a small squeeze before stepping back. "What are you waiting for, Miss Parker? Don't you want to welcome them home?"

Surprising herself as much as Lester, Jess hesitated. She turned away from the screens of the ADD, missing the team as they left the lab. Anxiety caused her head to spin and her stomach to churn and, for a horrible moment, she thought she was going to either throw up or pass out on the floor at Lester's feet.

"It will be okay, Jess." Alarmed at the sudden pallor of her skin, Lester held out a hand to support her as she shakily got to her feet. "We've faced down scarier things than this."

"Have we?" Jess wasn't so sure. She watched the doorway into Ops, her breath catching in her throat as the team strode through it, Becker in the lead.

The expression on his face was determined but the look in his eyes when they search for and locked with hers across the room was unreadable. It suddenly felt like it'd been a lot longer than just over a day since they'd last seen each other and Jess felt a shiver skitter down her spine.

"We need to talk," the Head of Security said, stopping in front of her and Lester, his gaze intense. "But first we need to get Sophia. She's in danger. You both are."

As Jess gasped and Lester gaped at him, Abby pushed past Becker with a glare at the soldier, immediately wrapping her arm around Jess's trembling shoulders. "It's okay, Jess. We're back, and we're not going to let anything bad happen, to you or your daughter."

* * *

_And the true Jess/Becker part of the story start now... Hee ;) If you're so inclined, please leave a review and let me know what you think - and, of course, huge thanks to Prawn Crackers & Mijo for their continued support._


	7. Chapter 7

_Comments at the end of the chapter :)_

* * *

At Becker's insistence, the team split up. Lester needed answers but wasn't willing to put Sophia in jeopardy to get them. It was quickly decided that Emily and Connor would stay at the ARC to brief their boss, while Becker, Matt and Abby would accompany Jess to her father's house to collect Sophia. Jess sat in the back seat of Becker's truck, her hand clasped tightly in Abby's as the blond woman quietly caught her up on the sequence of events that had led to them speeding towards the home of Lewis and Maria Parker.

With every new detail revealed, Jess got paler, her eyes bigger. Matt studied her reaction through the rear-view mirror as she stared out of the window, silent tears rolling down her cheeks as Abby described their meeting with her daughter.

"She was brilliant, Jess. Looked just like you. Just as smart, too." Abby's praise did little to comfort the Field Co-ordinator but she tried.

"She grew up without me. I left her. _Again._" Jess choked on the words, the first she'd spoken since they'd left the ARC.

"Not willingly, and that's not going to happen now." Abby's tone was as firm as her grip on Jess's hand. "We're going to fix it. Everything. It's going to be alright, Jess. You'll see."

Jess wasn't convinced. She said little else as they made their way to her father's house, speaking only to confirm which turning they needed to take. As soon as Becker hit the brakes at the end of a long gravel driveway, she had her door open and was hurrying towards the wooden doors of the looming white house. She didn't knock, pushing her way inside without hesitation. The team hurried after her, catching up with her at the base of a grand central staircase.

"Jessica? What are you doing?" An older man, unmistakably Jess's father, walked out of a room to the side of the front doors. Jess ignored him, heading straight to the staircase. She made it up three of the plush carpeted stairs before her father spoke again, his voice raised. "Jessica Louise Parker, you will stop and answer me right now. What are you doing here?"

She answered but didn't stop. "I'm here to get my daughter, Dad. I'm here for Sophia."

"Excuse me?" Lewis Parker bustled to the bottom of the staircase after his daughter, the colour rising in his cheeks. He stopped abruptly when he finally noticed his daughter wasn't alone and that at least two of her companions were armed. "What is the meaning of this...? You can't force yourself into my home..."

"It's my home, too, Dad. Or used to be." Jess stopped halfway up the first set of stairs, turning to glare at her father. Her voice shook and she gripped the railing so hard her knuckles turned white. "Though I suppose if we're being honest, it hasn't been my home since mum left, has it? You didn't want me to stay and she didn't want to take me with her. It's not something you'll have to worry about anymore. I'm taking Sophia and I promise you'll never have to see either of us ever again."

"Jessica..." Aghast, Mr Parker moved closer to the staircase. "That isn't... You can't..."

A high-pitched squeal prevented him from finishing his protests. Jess spun on the step she was standing on, moving quickly to the landing at the top of the first set of stairs. She opened her arms, easily catching the little girl who threw herself at her excitedly.

"Mummy, mummy, mummy!" Sophia Parker wound her small arms around her mother's neck, her voice loud and excited in the otherwise quiet house. "Twenty-seven sleeps, mummy! I counted!"

"You can stop counting, sweetheart." Moving so she was sitting on the floor, her daughter cradled in her arms, Jess buried her face in Sophia's hair and closed her eyes tightly. "You're going to come with me today, Soph. We're going to go away for a while, somewhere you've never been before."

"Like a holiday?" Sophia's enthusiasm meant she didn't notice the sudden exhaustion that washed over her mother. "Mummy? Why aren't you wearing shoes?"

Jess lifted her head and opened her eyes. She stared at her bare feel, frowning a little as she dimly registered the sharp sting where the gravel she'd ran across had cut into her skin. "I must have forgotten to put them on."

"Silly mummy." The child in her arms giggled and cuddled closer. "You can wear some of mine if you like."

"I don't think they'd fit me, darling." Pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead, Jess moved. She winced as she got to her fear, belated pain making them hurt, and carefully shifted Sophia so the little girl was resting on her hip. "Let's go and pack some of your things, okay? We'll make sure we take all of your favourites."

"Now you just wait a minute..." Mr Parker was again interrupted. His eyes widened as Becker moved to block his path, the older man's gaze dropping to the EMD clasped in his hands. "I don't know who you think you are, young man, but..."

"I'm the man who's going to keep your daughter and granddaughter alive, Mr Parker." Becker spoke softly, dangerously so. "You'd be wise not to get in the way."

Lewis Parker could only watch as the black clad soldier calmly walked past him and joined his daughter upstairs. He turned to look at the two people still standing in his hallway and gaped at them in astonishment. The man gave him a slow smirk while the blond woman smiled sweetly. Both looked willing to stop him if he tried to follow.

* * *

Becker followed the sound of muted voices into a pretty pink bedroom. While the colour didn't surprise him, the rest of the room did. It looked like it had been fitted out for an adult, not a little girl.

The furniture was dark wood in colour and, if he wasn't mistaken, were all antiques. There wasn't a stuffed toy or doll in sight, just a neatly ordered desk in the corner of the room with a pile of books and watercolour pencils, not crayons, next to a pad of blank paper on it.

There were more books on a bookshelf next to the bed and a single photograph, a formal portrait of the Parker family sat in a gilded frame on top of it. Lewis Parker and a man a few years older than Jess stood at the back of the picture, behind a small white loveseat. On it sat a woman he assumed was Jess's stepmother and Jess, with Sophia on her knee. Neither Jess or her daughter or the man Becker figured was her brother looked pleased to be in the picture.

"Where's Mr Ted, Sophia?" Jess's voice shook him from his musings and he turned his attention to her as she emptied the contents of a drawer into a suitcase she'd pulled from the top shelf of the wardrobe. "You don't want to leave him behind."

"Maria took him." Sophia struggled with an armful of brightly coloured clothes she'd pulled from their hangers and let fall on the bed beside the suitcase. "She said I was too old for teddies."

Having turned back to the wardrobe to collect more clothes, Sophia missed the pained look that flittered across Jess's face but Becker didn't. He watched her hands falter in the middle of neatly folding one of the t-shirts Sophia had left on the bed.

"Do you know where she put him?" Jess's voice was even but sounded unnaturally calm to him.

"Grandpa put him in the cupboard in the hall. Maria said he could be a prize in a raffle."

Jess's lips thinned into a white line and her hand shook as she put the folded t-shirt into the suitcase. "I don't think he'd like that very much, Soph. Why don't I go get him and we can take him with us?"

Sophia's face lit up in a dazzling smile reminiscent of her mothers. "Really? I'm not too old to keep him?"

"You're not too old until you think you are." Running a hand over her daughter's hair, Jess turned away from the suitcase. "Why don't you keep packing and I'll go get him?"

"Okay, mummy!" Happily, Sophia began grabbing handfuls of clothes and haphazardly filling the case.

Becker backed out into hallway as Jess walked out of the room. She barely glanced at him as she strode towards a cupboard at the end of the hall and swung the door open. From the top shelf, a well-worn and obviously loved teddy bear stared down forlornly. Even standing on her tiptoes, Jess couldn't quite reach in bare feet so Becker silently moved behind her, stretching his arm up above her head to retrieve the bear for her.

Freezing, realising just how close he was to her when he felt her back brush against his chest, Becker let the arm holding the bear drop as she turned slowly. Her gaze was fixed firmly on his vest, her head down so he couldn't see her face.

"Thank you," she said after a moment, taking the bear from his hand.

Knowing she was expecting him to move so she could get back to her daughter, Becker found himself staying exactly where he was. "Jess." Something in his voice made her look up and the vulnerability in her face made his heart ache. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Her smile was only a shadow of its former self and she still couldn't maintain eye contact. "I know you won't. It's your job."

"It's more than that." He held onto her arm as she started to move past him, staring at her intently, willing her to look up. "If we lost you..."

"The world wouldn't stop. You've seen proof of that." She gently pulled her arm away and headed back towards her daughter's bedroom.

His world had, his life ending just a few months after hers but Abby hadn't gotten that far into the story. He stood staring into the cupboard, not seeing its contents as he heard Jess's voice in his head, a quiet confession he didn't think he'd ever forget.

Resolving himself to make a confession of his own – and soon – Becker returned to the bedroom to find Sophia cuddling her teddy bear and Jess pulling the zip around the full suitcase. He moved to pick it up before she could, earning another quiet 'thank you' before Jess took Sophia's hand instead.

"I know you," Sophia exclaimed suddenly, looking up at him with big blue eyes. "Mummy, is he...?"

"Yes, Sophia. This is Captain Becker." Jess glanced at him quickly, her pale cheeks flushing lightly. "Abby and Matt are waiting downstairs, and you'll be able to meet the others soon, too."

"Really?" Sophia beamed, thankfully oblivious to the seriousness of the situation. "Are we going home, mummy? Can I come home with you forever and ever?"

"Forever and ever, sweetheart." Jess squared her shoulders and exhaled slowly. "I promise."

Becker followed them out of the room, suitcase in hand as he made a silent promise of his own.

* * *

Sophia kept up a constant stream of chatter as they drove back to the ARC. She wanted to know everything about everyone and asked them each a dozen questions. When Jess admonished her gently and told her not to badger them, Sophia managed to stay silent for all of five minutes before starting again, earning a grin from Abby and a smirk from Matt.

"She's definitely her mother's daughter," the Irish man in the front seat commented, meeting Jess's gaze in the mirror. He was pleased when Jess smiled briefly but frowned when the Field Co-ordinator quickly looked away. Glancing at Becker, he watched the emotions pass over the usually stoic soldier's face and realised he'd noted the response, too. "Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself, Sophia? We'd like to get to know you, too."

"Like what, Uncle Matt?" The little girl didn't notice the reaction her turn of phrase got from the adults in the car. "I'm only four and a half."

"You might only be four and a half but I'm sure there's something you can tell us." Recovering from his surprise quickly, Matt turned in his seat to give her an encouraging smile. "What's your favourite colour?"

"Rainbow," Sophia answered immediately, her smile bright. "What's yours?"

Biting the inside of his cheek to keep back a laugh at the answer, Matt grinned at her. "Mine would have to green."

"What's yours?" Sophia asked, turning to Abby, her expression expectant.

"I like red." Abby looked at Jess over Sophia's head, concerned when the brunette woman didn't look away from the window. "What about you, Jess? What's your favourite colour?"

Seemingly startled that she'd been drawn into the conversation, Jess hesitated for a split second. "Blue, I think. All shades, from light to dark."

"What about you, Captain Becker?" Sophia smiled sweetly and sat as far forward as her seatbelt would allow.

Becker bit his lip against the first colour that came to mind and met her gaze in the rear-view mirror. "It's black. I like black." 'But blue's my favourite,' he added silently to himself, thinking of the shade of Jess's eyes as she avoided looking at him.

Beside him, Matt chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Of course it is. What about animals, Sophia? Do you have a favourite animal?"

She didn't have one favourite; she had over a dozen and had a reason to justify each one. The conversation came to a natural end only as Becker pulled into his usual space at the underground car park at the ARC and Sophia's voice trailed off, her eyes growing wide as she stared through the tinted windows of the truck. Her hand inched towards her mother's and grasped Jess's fingers tightly.

"Where are we, Mummy?"

"This is the ARC, sweetheart. It's where I work, and where we're going to be staying for a little while." Jess busied herself with unfastening Sophia's seatbelt and then her own as the others got out of the truck. She was just about to open the door when she found it being opened for her, unsurprised to see Becker waiting, hand outstretched to help her out.

"Watch where you stand," Becker murmured, his gaze travelling down her legs to her bare feet. He glanced at the delicate toenails painted in pastel pink and thought he might have to revise his favourite colour to include more than one.

Jess gave him a tight smile of thanks and let go of his hand as soon as she was on her feet, turning to help Sophia down. The little girl latched onto her mother, one arm around Jess's neck and the other clinging to Mr Ted as her legs wound around Jess's middle. She craned her neck to watch Matt and Abby as they walked to the security check point, her eyes getting rounder at the sight of the soldiers on duty.

"It's okay," Jess murmured, stepping away from the truck so Becker could close the door. "They might look scary but they're nice really."

Sophia smiled bravely but her arm around Jess tightened and her eyes moved to the man standing silently beside them. "Will you stay with us, Captain Becker?" The little girl asked quietly.

_'Always.'_ "Of course." Becker locked the truck and slid the keys in his pocket, guiding Jess forward with a hand at the small of her back. In silence, the three moved past the check point and into the heart of the ARC.

* * *

_Huge thanks as always for the support! A couple of replies, since for some reason I can't send PM's at the moment:_

_Mijo & Prawn Crackers: Thank you for picking up on it being Becker in the (now hopefully) alternate timeline who killed Jason. I know some people might disagree with me but, given his history with Special Forces and his attachment to those he cares about, I thought it would be an in character thing for him to do especially if he's gone a little off the rails for failing to be there to protect her in the first place._

_Lezzles - Lieutenant Smith might be born in this timeline and he might be a few years younger than Sophia - at least six, if we're counting - but that doesn't mean he'd be too young for Sophia if that was the case. There is an age gap between our favourite Captain and Field Co-ordinator, after all. ;)_

_migotka21 - Jason will get what's coming to him if Becker gets his way ;)_

_Thanks to all of you - and SveaR, WildGypsyWoman & Guest - for your reviews! Hope you keep enjoying the story and get as attached to Sophia as I (and a certain Captain) am!_


	8. Chapter 8

_You are all **brilliant** and I thank you for each and every review! :) Now onto some serious 'shippiness for our favourite couple *sigh* ;)_

* * *

A television, a DVD player and a small stack of Disney DVDs had materialised in her quarters while she'd been gone. Jess wondered whether she had Lester or Connor to thank for it and told herself she'd find out after Sophia excitedly settled down with Mr Ted to watch 'The Little Mermaid', since Maria refused to let her watch films that were 'nonsense'.

Jess, having fond memories of curling up under a duvet with Sophia not more than a few months ago in her old bedroom at her father's house, watching 'Beauty and the Beast' on her laptop, much to her stepmothers disapproval, was unsurprised.

With her daughter preoccupied and Becker having disappeared somewhere after escorting them to the room and leaving the suitcase by the door, Jess carried the case into the bedroom and grimaced at the sight of it. Leaving Sophia's suitcase on the floor, she re-zipped her own, resigning herself to living out of it for as long as they were there. Once she'd stashed it under the bed, she heaved Sophia's case onto it, telling herself that they might have to live from their cases but at least she could make sure Sophia's clothes were neatly folded and almost wrinkle-free.

Engrossed in the mindless activity, Jess didn't hear the door to their quarters open or near-silent footsteps pad through the living area and into the bedroom. She yelped when she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye – too big to be Sophia – and whirled to face the intruder, pressing a hand against her racing heart when she saw Becker watching her with an arched eyebrow.

"Sorry." His apology was quiet but heartfelt. "Just went to get this." He waved a hand holding a first aid kit. "Running over gravel with bare feet isn't recommended."

"I'll do it later." She held out her hand for the first aid box, reluctantly lifting her gaze to his when he held onto it. "I'm sure you've got more important things to do. Briefing Lester, writing your report, security stuff..."

"I've got time." He motioned to the bed, a mass of coloured clothing. "Make space and sit down."

"Becker..."

"Jess."

With an indecipherable mutter, Jess did as she was ordered. She bit her lip when he knelt on the floor in front of her and fought the urge to gasp when he gently grasped her ankle, lifting it so her left foot was resting on his knee. With a tenderness that caused her to bit back a sigh, he took an antiseptic wipe from the first aid kit and carefully cleaned dirt and dust and dried blood from the cuts on the sole of her foot. Once it was clean, he inspected the injuries, applied a little bit of cream to the worst of them, rubbing it in with his thumb in strong, slow circles.

Finished with her left foot, he turned his attention to the right, again resting it on his knee as he reached for another foil packet with a fresh antiseptic wipe.

"It doesn't change anything, you know." The sound of his voice took her by surprise and Jess looked up from where she'd been watching his actions. She found herself staring at the top of his head as he focused his attention on his task. "Knowing about Sophia and... and her father. It doesn't change anything."

"It changes everything." She couldn't stop the sigh that escaped her or the lump from rising in her throat. Staring at the top of his head, Jess thought about pulling her foot away but knew he wouldn't let her until he was finished. "You might not think so at first but it will. It always does." She shook her head when he didn't reply. "My brother can't stand to be in the same room as me. I woke up in hospital to find him holding my hand but he hasn't touched me since. He's scared to hug me, my own brother, in case it upsets me or triggers some kind of flashback. He can't look at Sophia because all he sees is her father."

To Becker's credit, he didn't pause in his ministrations, his hands working their magic on her sore feet, soothing the ache with measured strokes.

"My stepmother told me once that I brought it on myself. She said if I hadn't been trying to act older than I am, it wouldn't have happened." Jess shrugged a shoulder and closed her eyes against the humiliating sting of tears. "I threw out every pair of jeans I owned and started buying dresses and skirts just to spite her. And him. I was determined he wouldn't win, that he what he did wouldn't scare me away from being myself. I have no interest in being anyone's victim, Becker, but that's what people expect when they find out. I've seen the way people look at me sometimes, old friends who haven't seen me in a while then notice the short skirts and high heels and I know they think I got what I deserved. It doesn't matter to them that I practically lived in jeans and t-shirts leading up to it and only started dressing the way I do now afterwards."

"Anyone who thinks that isn't a friend you need and doesn't deserve you." He looked up suddenly, surprising her, catching and holding her gaze. "It doesn't change anything to me. If anything, it makes me realise just how brilliant you are."

Her laugh was humourless, derisive. "I'm hardly brilliant, Becker. I let my father bully me into abandoning my daughter, hid her from the people who matter the most and made a mess of everything."

He moved quickly and rose on his knees, catching her face in his hands before she could turn away and hide the tears shining in her eyes. "You are brilliant," he told her softly. "You are the strongest, bravest, most brilliant woman I've ever met. Anyone looking at Sophia can see what a great mum you are and anyone who knows you, _really_ knows you, won't let something that happened five years ago change what they think about you or how they feel." He caught a stray tear with his thumb, wiping it away tenderly. "You're brilliant," he repeated seriously, "and I need you to know..."

"Don't." Jess tried to turn away, closing her eyes when he wouldn't let her. "Please don't say something you don't mean just to make me feel better. I don't want your pity, Becker, I..."

"Good," Becker interrupted brusquely. "Because I don't pity you." She felt his finger stroke her cheek, moving to tip her face up. Felt his breath on her face and opened her eyes just as his lips descended over hers. Her heart raced, eyes fluttered shut, and the hand she'd moved to press against his chest slid up to rest at the base of his neck in silent encouragement. "I love you." Becker pulled back only long enough to murmur his confession against her mouth, closing the gap between them almost immediately.

While their first kiss was chaste, almost shy, their second was searing. One of his hands slid around to the back of her head, fingers tangling in her hair. Her lips parted under his, inviting him to deepen the kiss and he was happy to comply. A pile of the clothes she'd folded fell to the floor, unnoticed, as Jess leaned back, her free hand tangling in the material of his shirt, gently pulling him with her. Becker rose from the floor only to take up position beside her on the bed, an arm around her waist tugging her closer, pressing her body tight against his own.

"Mummy!" The cry from the room next door brought them back to reality with a bump. Breaking apart, both breathing heavily, Becker let his forehead rest against Jess's, unwilling to move away entirely. "There's someone at the door!"

"I'm going to have to get used to that, aren't I?" Becker mumbled, mostly to himself as he stood up and offered her a hand.

"Kissing me or being interrupted?" Jess ran her hands over her dress, smoothing out the worst of the creases. She then turned her attention to her hair, running her fingers through it to try and restore some sort of order.

He smirked as he watched her, admiring the sight of her tousled hair and pink cheeks. "Both."

Ducking her head to hide a pleased smile, Jess preceded him out of the bedroom. She passed Sophia to open the door, her smile fading at the serious faces of the people standing on the other side.

"Lester wants to see you both in his office." Abby tried to smile reassuringly but her eyes betrayed her concern. "Hey, Sophia. Do you mind if me and Connor stay with you for a while?"

Sophia peered around Jess's legs to look at Connor, her brow furrowing as she stared up at him for the first time. "Do you like 'The Little Mermaid'?" Sophia asked seriously.

"That's the one with the lobster, isn't it?" Connor grinned when she nodded. "It's one of my favourites."

"Good." Turning her attention to Abby, Sophia smiled. "You can stay. Don't forget your shoes, Mummy."

Her decision made, the little girl walked back into the room, settling herself on the floor in front of the television. Jess dashed into the bedroom, slipping on a pair of heels before following Becker out of the room. Her stomach fluttered anxiously and, sensing it, the Captain at her side reached out to take her hand, uncaring of who saw.

* * *

Together, they approached Lester's office.

The first thing Jess noticed when she stepped into Lester's office was a conspicuous looking black recorder on his desk. From the way her boss was staring at it as if it might turned into a raptor and bite him, and the way Becker's grip on her hand tightened when he saw it, Jess was certain she would be better off not knowing what was on it.

"Come in and take a seat." Lester reached for a glass on his desk, the amber liquid inside telling Jess his whiskey stocks had been depleted again. "We need to discuss the situation and any new security measures you feel we need to put in place, Becker."

"Security at the ARC is already tight. No one will get in unless we let them," Becker answered confidently. He waited until Jess sat down, and then took up position standing behind her chair. "Long-term, we need to think about what we can do to make sure Jess's flat is secure. It isn't practical for them to stay here for an extended period of time."

"As much as I agree, I'm loathe to let them leave here with this monster on the loose." Lester took another sip of his whiskey, studiously avoiding looking at Jess. "He needs to be found, Captain, and soon."

Clearing her throat to remind them of her presence, Jess glanced from the recorder on the desk to her boss. "Until he does something, we have no reason to look for him. You can't justify arresting him until he's done something to warrant it."

"He's done plenty." Becker's hand tightened over her shoulder. "He needs to be stopped, Jess."

"From killing me?" She lifted her hand to cover his briefly. "I know Abby didn't go into details about how I died but given Jason's involved, I can make an educated guess. Especially since you're both so on edge." She didn't wait for them to confirm her suspicions. "The fact remains that you can't arrest him for something he hasn't done yet."

"What would you suggest, Miss Parker? Letting him murder you so we have just cause?" The sarcasm in Lester's tone would have been hurtful if not for the red rim she could see around his eyes. "I assure you, I have no intention of letting that happen."

"And I appreciate that." She smiled softly in gratitude. "I agree Sophia and I can't stay here indefinitely. As much as I love my job, that would be taking it too far. Is it not possible that the team coming back earlier than they did has already changed the future? Maybe we don't need to do anything else but wait and see what happens."

Lester's jaw clenched. "While I'm glad to see the return of your optimism, Miss Parker, it's not a risk I'm prepared to take. I'll speak with the Minister and explain the situation. Perhaps, with the evidence at hand, we can work something out. We know what his intentions are and I very much doubt they've changed just because the opportunity to do so has been taken from him."

Jess stilled under Becker's tense hand. "What evidence?" Her gaze fell to the recorder. "Is that from the future?"

"Mr Anderson was given it by your daughter. The future version of your daughter, not the four year old. Apparently, she believed I should listen to it." Lester drained the whiskey left in his glass and glared at the recorder, clearly wishing he hadn't. "In the meantime, if there's anything you need to make your stay here more comfortable for your or Sophia, please don't hesitate. You don't need to ask permission for everything. I trust your judgement and I expect you to use it. If you wish to leave the premises..."

"What's on the tape?" Jess interrupted, her brow furrowed. "Why has it upset you so much?"

Lester pointedly ignored her. "As I was saying, if you wish to leave the premises, please don't do so without information both myself and Captain Becker, though I assume the captain will be with you and will therefore already be aware of any plans you have. You will wear your comm. link at all times, both in the ARC and outside of it. I don't expect you to have it constantly switched on but would expect you to do so when you're not in the building. I'd also like you to take a black box with you, whenever you leave the ARC. We'll use it to track your location if necessary."

A gasp escaped her. Jess's gaze dropped from Lester to the recorder on the desk. "Is that what's on the tape? Was I wearing a black box when I... when he killed me?"

She knew she was right by the way Lester scowled and Becker's hand tightened almost painfully on her shoulder.

"You don't need to concern yourself with that," Lester said eventually. "It isn't going to happen again. We're not going to allow..."

"I want to hear it." Jess leaned forward in her chair, her hand outstretched towards the recorder. Becker moved, quicker than she'd been anticipating, and snatched it up before she could. "Becker!"

"You don't need to." His jaw was tighten, his dark eyes stormy. "Trust me, Jess. It's not easy listening."

She tilted her head up, holding his gaze. "You've obviously all heard it so why shouldn't I?" When his grip on the recorder tightened, she shook her head. "I have a pretty good idea of what's on it. I was with him for three days; I don't need to imagine what he's capable of because I know. Just as I need to know what's on there now."

Becker reluctantly gave it to her, straightening stiffly. "I won't stop you but I can't listen to it again."

He left swiftly, leaving her staring at the recorder in her hand. Lifting her gaze to Lester, she arched an eyebrow at the look on his face. "Do you want me to go somewhere else...?"

The expression he wore suggested he did but Lester sighed in resignation. He opened his drawer and took out a second glass, topping up his own and pouring her a fresh drink. "I'd rather it doesn't leave my sight. I'm hopeful the contents of that tape will help the Minister see things my way."

Jess pressed play and took the glass he gave her. Its contents were gone within seconds of hearing that voice, the one she heard so many times in her nightmares.

_"I've waited, Jessie. Waited so long for this."_


	9. Chapter 9

Becker decimated over a dozen paper targets in the time it took Jess to listen to the recording of her dying moments. He paused, calculating the time, and checked in with Lester, unsurprised to find that she'd left the office mere seconds after the tape had ended.

Hurriedly replacing his weapon and resetting the station he'd been using for target practise, he stopped by her quarters first, trying not to alarm Abby and Connor when they told him she hadn't been back. Leaving quickly, he could think of only one other place she would have gone and raced to the stairwell that led to the roof of the ARC.

She stood with her arms wrapped around her, staring out over the city with her hair blowing in the breeze. Becker stared at her for a moment, memorising the image. Silently, without alerting her to his presence, he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her back again him.

Though the shift in their relationship was new and they hadn't discussed it, he felt a certain freedom and a great deal of relief that he could finally touch her, hold her, show her that he cared without feeling the need to hold back and keep his distance. He'd spent so long trying to deny what he felt, not wanting her to suffer if something happened to him, that he hadn't stopped to consider how what it would be like if he lost her before he could tell her. Hearing that she was dead, listening to her dying words... The last wall he'd built around his heart had crumbled and he'd promised himself that if he had the chance to tell her, he would. The future was uncertain, especially with their jobs; denying them both the chance of exploring what was between them while they were able was not only stupid but selfish, too.

"I'm sorry you all had to hear that." It was Jess who spoke, lacing her fingers with his where they'd come to rest against her stomach. "If I could change it, make it so you didn't have to, I would."

Touched but not surprised that her first thought had been for him and her friends and the suffering the recording had inflicted on them, Becker pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I won't let it happen this time, Jess. I won't let him hurt you again."

"I trust you." She turned in the circle of his arms, resting a hand on his chest above his heart, staring at it rather than lifting her eyes to his. "I meant everything I said. You are the best man I've ever met and I do love you, very much. I don't doubt that you think you love me, too, but I don't want you to feel obligated... Oh, God, what I'm trying to say is if we do this, it'll be the three of us and I know you weren't prepared for that so if you want to just be friends, I will completely understand..."

"Jessica." He waited until she looked up at him, so small and unsure of herself. "I don't think I love you, I know I do. When Sophia told me you were dead, everything stopped. You heard the tape, you heard Lester. I don't doubt that I died so soon after you because the thought of living without you, without having told you how I feel and giving us a chance was too hard. There's nothing I want more than to be with you _and_ Sophia. I never thought I'd have or want a family of my own but with you, I do. If you'll let me, if you want me to be part of it."

Her smile was blinding but a lingering doubt still shone in her eyes. "I just don't want you to be disappointed. You could have any woman you wanted and I don't want you to settle for me."

"I'm not settling, Jess. I choose you. I want _you_. You're beautiful and brilliant and you could have anyone. If anyone's settling in this scenario, it's you for me." He moved one hand from her waist to touch her cheek. "You have no idea how much you've changed my life already, how much you make me want to live and not just exist."

Jess rose on her tiptoes and Becker met her halfway. Their kisses were soft and undemanding, an affirmation of the feelings between them as they stood alone on the roof of the ARC, temporarily wrapped up in a world of their own making, safe from everything and everyone who might try to hurt them.

* * *

The little girl sighed in her sleep, rolling over so her head was half on her pillow and half on Jess's. Her small body was sprawled out starfish-style, Mr Ted lying just within reach of her fingertips. Jess stood in the doorway of the room, watching over her, and made a vow to herself that she'd do whatever it took to help her daughter maintain her innocence for as long as possible.

She'd always dreaded having that conversation, the one where she had to explain why Sophia's father wasn't involved in her life. As much as she wasn't looking forward to it, though, she hated the thought of someone else having to do it – and having to explain that her mother was never coming back because of her father's actions.

How had she felt? Jess wondered, thinking of the Sophia the team had met in the future. Had she know – believed – how much she was wanted and loved by her mother? Had she managed to enjoy her childhood or had it been overshadowed by the tragedies she'd suffered?

"Stop, Jessica." Becker took her hand and led her away from the doorway. "Dwelling on something that isn't going to happen won't help anyone."

"Are you really my Hilary Becker or were you replaced with a mind-reading clone from the future?" She smiled innocently when he narrowed his eyes. "What? Don't I get to use your first name now?"

"Not even my mother uses my first name." He sat down on the couch, pulling her with him.

He'd developed a new fascination with touching her, Jess thought, almost as if he needed to be in some sort of physical contact with her or he thought she'd disappear. She wondered if he realised he was doing it and whether the need would ease in time when he was able to put more distance between the future he'd seen and the present they were living in. Deciding to enjoy it while it lasted, however long that would be, Jess cuddled into his side when one of his arms went around her shoulders, taking his other hand in both of hers.

"He won't be easy to find," Jess said, reluctant to break the calm that had fallen over them but needing to voice the thoughts swirling around in her head. "If he is planning something, he'll go to ground until he's ready." She closed her eyes and drew comfort from the sound of his heart beating beneath her ear. "The only reason he was caught before was because he was stupid enough to try and see me in hospital."

Becker kissed the top of her head. "Hopefully Lester will be able to convince the Minister we need to do something before he acts. We've got some compelling evidence, even if it is something that hasn't happened yet and won't, not this time."

"Even if the Minister agrees, it's not like he can go back to prison. No judge or jury would convict on the chance that he might do something in the future, no matter what the evidence they're given." She bit back a sigh of frustration, knowing he felt it, too. "Short of keeping him here at the ARC, I don't know exactly what you and Lester want to do with him."

"Throw him through an anomaly?" Becker suggested, only half-jokingly. "I doubt anyone would miss him. Failing that, there are always the cells here."

"They're not long-term and I don't like the thought of him being that close every day," she mumbled. "I don't know how I'd concentrate knowing he was only a few floors away."

His arm around her shoulders tightened. "In all honesty, I don't think he'd live very long if we brought him here," he admitted quietly. "Given the queue of people who'd be waiting in line to have a quiet word, I can't see him lasting longer than a day. If that."

She wanted to laugh but had a sneaking suspicion he wasn't trying to be funny. Instead, she tilted her head back gazing up at him as she considered voicing the idea that had been plaguing her since they'd left the roof. "Becker?"

"Jess?" Becker arched an eyebrow, staring down at her. He frowned suddenly, reading something in her expression he didn't like. "What?"

"There's one thing we could try, if we need to find him." She bit her lip, both nervous at what his reaction would be – and what she would do if he agreed to the plan. "If he is waiting for a chance to try something, he'll know where I live, what my basic routine is."

"No." His jaw clenched, the hand she held in her lap clenching into a fist.

Jess sighed and lifted her head from his shoulder. She pulled away, pulling her legs up onto the couch."I'm just saying..."

"No, Jessica." He turned his head and met her gaze, the expression on his face leaving her in no doubt as to what his thoughts on the subject were. "It's not going to happen. We are not, under any circumstances, using you as bait."

She let the subject drop and moved back into the circle of his arms, cuddling closer as she felt the tension slowly seep out of him. Closing her eyes, she let the warmth of him and the sense of safety she always felt when he was close lull her into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

When Jess woke, she was no longer lying on the couch. She felt warmth from both sides, safe and cocooned and somehow more content that she could ever remember being in her life. The thought caused her to frown, a little voice at the back of her mind telling her that content was the last thing she should be feeling with Jason Keller roaming the streets outside of the safety of the ARC's walls.

"You'll get wrinkles." The source of warmth behind her spoke, his voice low and husky, and sent a shiver she didn't try to suppress down her spine.

A giggle came from the warmth in front of her in reply and that was what made Jess open her eyes.

Sophia gazed at her, the expression on her face adoringly. With a smile of her own, Jess suspected the look on her daughter's face wasn't just aimed at her but also at the man wrapped tightly around her. "Good morning, Mummy."

"Good morning, sweetheart." Wiggling a little so she was lying on her back instead of her side, Jess opened her arms to Sophia, who happily crawled half on-top of her mother for a hug. Glancing at Becker, the Field Co-ordinator arched an eyebrow. "I didn't think these beds were big enough for two, let alone two and a half."

"They're not." Becker got off the bed, turning his head from side to side to work out the kinks in his neck, before smirking at her. "But when I carried you in here last night, you refused to let me go."

"Really?" She felt a blush spreading over her face but, for once, she wasn't worried about embarrassing herself in front of him. "You could've crept out when I'd gone back to sleep."

He could have, but hadn't wanted to leave. "I'll go and see what the canteen has in way of breakfast," he said instead, looking a little embarrassed himself.

Jess bit back a giggle and snuggled into the pillows, her daughter clasped in her arms.

Strange though it was, content was definitely the only word she could think of to describe how she felt.

* * *

_The words "calm" and "storm" come to mind, for some reason ;) Hope you're still enjoying it now the Jecker/Jesker (I keep wanting to write Jester) is in full swing - and I promise, it won't drag on for too much longer. The story, that is, not the Jess/Becker goodness :) Thank you as always for the reviews & adds - they mean **a lot.**_


	10. Chapter 10

_My huge thanks as always to you wonderful, brilliant, supportive people reading this x  
Oh, and there's a bit of an *ahem* adult scene at the end of this part. I've toned it down so I *think* it's still within the 'T' rating. But be warned anyway._

* * *

Three days of living in the ARC and Jess's mood had downgraded from content to stressed. While she loved the ARC and wouldn't want to not work there, it was a different matter all together being there with a four and a half year old who couldn't understand why she wasn't allowed to go out to the park and play. Sophia's frustrations had only grown when she'd overheard two scientists in the canteen talk about the animals in the menagerie – only to have her mother tell her, in no uncertain terms, that the area was off-limits.

It was after another night of questions from Sophia, gazing up at her mother with tears in her big blue eyes, that Jess cracked. On the fourth morning, she strode to Lester's office where Becker and Matt were already meeting with the boss, leaving Sophia with her favourite aunts, Emily and Abby. She didn't knock nor wait to be acknowledged. Given the way they fell silent as soon as she entered, she knew she'd been the top of their conversation anyway.

"Sophia and I will be moving into my flat this morning. Afterwards, I plan on taking her to the park for a picnic lunch to celebrate. It's Saturday and she hasn't been outside since Tuesday. Neither of us have. I appreciate the concern for our safety but unless the Minister has changed his mind, there's little point in us staying cooped up inside like we're the latest addition to the menagerie. You can put whatever security measures you feel are necessary in place but bear in mind that I don't think we'll be able to justify any overspending on the budget to the Minister if you want to use ARC staff to do so," Jess added, directing her last comment to Lester.

Once she'd made her announcement, she turned on her heel – her bright purple lace-ups she almost always teamed with the lime green skirt she'd chosen to wear that morning – and walked out of the room. She'd made it halfway back to her quarters when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Is the picnic a private affair or is it open to invitation?" Matt fell into step beside her, throwing her an easy smile. "I don't think I've actually ever been to one, to be honest."

She gaped at him for a full thirty seconds before remembering that in the future he came from, the world wasn't safe for outdoor activities. "You're more than welcome to join us," she said eventually. "We can make it a group picnic, invite everyone along. As long as there aren't any anomalies, there's no reason why we can't all enjoy a nice sunny day at the park. Assuming it's sunny outside. I haven't had a chance to look up a weather forecast, though they're usually wrong anyway, and my quarters don't have any windows but then none of the quarters here do... And I'm rambling."

"You are." Matt's smile only grew. "It's nice to hear."

"Nice?" Jess turned the corner towards her quarters, unsurprised when he followed instead of continuing on. "I think that's the first time anyone's said that."

"Everyone else must just think it, then." He stopped her with a hand on her arm when they got closer to the three small rooms that had served as her home for the best part of a week, his smile fading. "I haven't had much of a chance to talk to you, see how you're doing with all of this. Mostly because Becker's been doing a great impression of a shadow. Or a limpet." He smiled a little when she blushed but the look in his eyes was serious. "So how are you doing? Must be hard to deal with, knowing in another place and time today would be the day you die."

Her eyes grew wide as she did the maths and realised he was right; according to the details they'd been given, had the team not returned from the future in time to change the past, she would be in Jason's hands, breathing her last breaths. The thought sent a shiver down her spine and Jess found herself leaning against the nearest wall for support.

"And you hadn't figured that out." Guilt flashed over his face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know." And she did. Ever since he'd started at the ARC, Matt had become somewhat of a brother to her. At the beginning, before Abby and Connor had returned and Emily had made her first visit to their time, Matt and Jess had spent more time together. There'd never been anything romantic between them but, outside of Becker, Matt was the first person at the ARC who'd become a friend as well as a colleague. "Thank you for pointing it out. I'd thought Becker was a little weird this morning. Now I know why."

Matt nodded, glancing over his shoulder as if expecting to see the Head of Security standing there. "Today's going to be hard for him. Especially now, what with you two..."

"With us two...?" Fixing her best innocent expression on her face, Jess bit back a mischievous smile. "I don't know what you mean."

"You do know what I mean." His smile returned, blossoming into a fully fledged smirk. "I have it on good authority he's taken over from your security detail and seems to be working both the day and night shift. You can't expect me to believe he still hasn't made a move."

The blush rising in her cheeks gave her away but Jess refused to acknowledge anything of the sort. "He's been a perfect gentleman, I'll have you know. Quite the same way you were when Emily first started living with you." At his sceptical look, she shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Seriously, we have a constant chaperone in Sophia. I guarantee what you're thinking hasn't happened."

"He seems quite taken with her." Matt leaned against the wall opposite, hands in his pockets as he studied the bright smile that curled her lips. "I have to admit I never saw Becker as the paternal type but he seems to have made an exception for her."

"She adores him." Her relief and pleasure was audible in her tone. "She adores you all."

"I'd say the feeling's mutual. She's a pretty special little girl." He grinned at the pride that lit up her face and pushed away from the wall. "Let's get you packed and ready to go home, shall we?"

"Oh, yes, please." She took the arm he offered her and they continued along the hallway, an extra bounce in Jess's step as she thought about leaving the ARC and finally taking her daughter home.

* * *

He wanted to enjoy the picnic but found he couldn't relax enough to do so. While Jess had needed Matt's reminder of the day, Becker needed no such thing. He'd woken up wrapped around her as was becoming something of a tradition and the first thought to pop into his head had been 'today's the day I lost her'.

He'd lain awake hours before even Sophia had stirred, replaying the recording of Jess's final hours in his head. His imagination had supplied a visual to go with the audio and it was all he could do not to get up and barricade the doors to keep anything and anyone who might harm her from getting close enough to try.

After Jess had woken up, Sophia still sleeping soundly against her, he'd reluctantly left, feeling the need to do _something_. He knew Sophia was getting restless and that it was beginning to affect Jess so he decided the best thing to do was prepare for the inevitable: leaving the safety of the ARC.

Becker hadn't been surprised at all when Jess had burst into Lester's office not more than two hours after he himself had, announcing her plans to move back into her flat. Matt had smirked at him, Lester arched an eyebrow; no doubt both wondering whether the usually feeling impaired Captain had picked up on her emotions or whether they'd discussed the matter before hand. He had, after all, just spent two hours insisting they go over contingency plans and the specifications of the security system that had been installed in Jess's flat and linked back to the ARC.

Still, being prepared for it and actually doing it were two different things, especially on the day he knew Jess had died in one version of events. He found his fingers itching for his Glock every time he caught a glimpse of movement outside of their group and berated himself silently for jumping at shadows. He found himself watching the people around them rather than enjoying the easy banter and playful teasing of the group of people that had somehow become his family, despite his attempts at holding them at a distance. Whenever someone looked in their direction for a second too long, he'd tense and glare until they either turned back to what they were doing or walked away.

Not one of the faces he found himself studying belonged to Jason Keller but that didn't stop him from feeling like the man was there somewhere, waiting to do something that would shatter the happy future Becker finally felt was within his grasp.

He listened to Jess's laughter and Sophia's giggles as they ran to the swing set and found himself wishing he could be so carefree and innocent. He watched, an ever present guardian, as Jess pushed her daughter before sitting on a swing herself, kicking her legs and grinning as the wind caused her hair to flutter around her face.

She looked beautiful, relaxed, happy. _His_, a little voice at the back of his mind growled possessively.

"Why don't you go and join them?" Abby put a hand on his arm when he tensed at the sound of her voice, a silent apology for startling him. "We can keep an eye on things so you can relax a bit."

Becker looked at her, and then looked at Connor sitting on the picnic blanket beside her. Matt had already been dragged towards the swings by Emily, who had claimed it looked like fun but Becker suspected she just wanted an excuse for at least one of them to stay close to Jess and Sophia. Studying the two people nearest to him, he realised that they weren't oblivious to the dangers the day presented, either, and that the knowledge of what they'd witnessed was weighing heavily on them, too.

"She died today," he found himself saying, his gaze straying back to Jess as she squealed when Matt took a turn in pushing her. The team leader laughed and turned his attention to Sophia, who mimicked her mother and squealed with laughter as she flew higher through the air. "In another life, she died today."

"Not in this one." Her fingers tightened around his arm momentarily and he looked at her to find she was looking at Jess. The fierce determination on her face coupled with the grief in her eyes shouldn't have surprised him but it did. He got so caught up in his own feelings for Jess, feelings he'd given up on fighting, that he forgot he wasn't the only one who'd come to rely on having her in their lives.

"Matt looks like he could do with some help pushing the swings," Connor commented after a moment's silence.

"Guess I'll go and help him then." Becker managed a brief smile of thanks and told himself it was okay to let his guard down, just for a little while. Though it was his job to keep the team safe, they all played a willing part in keeping watch over their own.

He nodded to Matt as the team leader stepped aside to let him take up position behind Jess and Sophia and earned a brilliant smile from the Field Co-ordinator. He alternated between pushing mother and daughter, barely noticing when Emily and Matt left the swings to rejoin Connor and Abby.

When Sophia asked if she could go and play on the slide, he obediently slowed her swing to a stop and helped her down. The trusting hand she wrapped around his, using it to pull him with her to the slide caused his throat to tighten and his vision to blur. He glanced over his shoulder to find Jess watching, her own eyes suspiciously bright as she slowed her swing to a stop but sat a while longer, gazing after them.

"Will you help me climb to the top?" Sophia asked shyly, not relinquishing her hold on his hand.

Unable to deny her, Becker nodded. "Of course."

He planted his feet in the sand and supported her as she made her way slowly up the steps of the slide. He bit back a grin when she bit her tongue in concentration and gave her a genuine smile when she made it to the top and beamed at him with pride.

"Captain Becker?" She sat at the top of the slide, staring down at him with such a serious look on her face that Becker thought made her look far older than she was.

"Yes, Sophia?"

"Are you going to be my Daddy now?" The question was asked with such a combination of innocence and hope that his heart began to pound. "I have Aunt Abby and Aunt Emily, and Uncle Connor and Uncle Matt and I have Mummy but I don't have a Daddy."

"Would you... Would you like me to be?" His voice sounded odd to his own ears, a little too hoarse, but Sophia didn't seem to notice.

Her face lit up, her eyes bright and her smile as brilliant as her mother's. "Yes, please!"

The 'please' made him grin and loosened something in his chest. Looking over his shoulder to see Jess approach, he turned his attention back to Sophia and winked. "Why don't I talk to your mum about it and see what I can do?"

Sophia smiled her approval of the plan and edged towards the top of the slide. "Mummy, mummy, watch me!"

"I'm watching, sweetheart." Taking up position at Becker's side, Jess let her head rest on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her waist, both standing guard over the little girl still so oblivious to the dangers lurking in the world. Tightening his arm around Jess, Becker vowed that Sophia would stay that way for as long as she could.

* * *

It wasn't until Sophia was in bed and the others had gone that Jess realised Becker had never been in her flat before. Even when Abby and Connor had lived with her and the team had spent time together outside of work, their gatherings had always usually been held at the pub nearest to the ARC.

She watched him walk around slowly, tracking the way his gaze moved over her belongings, lingering here and there on a particular quirky item – the retro-style dial telephones seemed to intrigue him for a while – before eventually settling on her where she stood in the centre of the living room.

He walked towards her, the expression on his face unreadable. Stopping just short of touching her, Becker studied her with an intensity that caused her breath to catch and her heart to pound. Caught in his stare, Jess tilted her head and held his gaze.

"You're looking at me as if I might disappear if you stop."

"Part of me is scared that you will." The honesty of his answer was echoed by the truth of it in his eyes, the shadow of grief he'd been battling all day.

Jess took a deep breath and stepped forward. She let her hand rest on his arm and followed its progress with her eyes as she smoothed her way down over tense muscle and warm skin, eventually tangling her fingers with his. Raising her gaze, she fought the urge to bite her lip. "Why don't you let me show you that I'm not going anywhere?"

"Jess..." For a moment, she saw a flash of need in his eyes, before it disappeared behind the mask he was struggling to keep in place. It was enough to spur her on and tell her to listen to her instincts so Jess closed the gap between them, rising on her toes to kiss him. She tried to put everything she felt for him into the kiss and was rewarded when, with a low groan of surrender, Becker's arms came around her, pulling her close.

She was both breathless and exhilarated when the kiss came to a natural end, heat flooding her body as she took a step back, still holding onto his hand. Without a word, Jess turned and led him towards the stairs.

He followed willingly, his eyes never leaving her. When they reached her bedroom, he waited until she'd shut the door before drawing her back against him, capturing her lips with his as he turned them and pinned her back against the door. Jess made a low murmur that he took as encouragement, her fingers threading through his hair.

His hands slid to her hips, lifting her. Jess smiled against his mouth, wrapping her legs around him and suddenly finding herself that much higher than he was. Pulling away only to smile at him, she quickly leaned in to kiss him again, enjoying the new angle and the control it gave her.

Becker turned away from the door, carrying her towards the bed. He smirked at the squeal of surprise that escaped her when she found herself tumbling to the mattress below and followed quickly.

They took their time undressing each other, exploring newly revealed and often imagined skin with soft kisses and light touches. Becker memorised the sight of her, the feel of her beneath his hands, using every kiss, every touch to convince himself that she was really was alive and breathing and writhing beneath him, breathlessly murmuring his name.

He stilled above her suddenly, arms resting on the mattress either side of her. Jess stared back, her feelings laid bare, her emotions unguarded. The sight of such love and adoration aimed at him took his breath away and Becker leaned in to kiss her tenderly.

Jess wrapped her legs around his middle, cradling him with her body. When her hips shifted against his, Becker took the hint and began to move. He dropped his head, kissing every part of her he could reach, whispering declarations and promises against her skin. Her fingers trailed down his back, nails digging into sweat-slickened flesh as her body arched, his name tumbling from her lips in both a cry of pleasure and a plea for more.

Obliging her, he slid a hand between their joined bodies, covering her mouth with his as he caressed her, muffling her cry as her body splintered apart under his ministrations. The sensation was enough to send him over the edge after her and he pulled away to press his face into the crook of her neck, her name a muffled groan against her skin.

After a while, conscious of the fact he was lying over her, Becker rolled to the side, smiling a little at the soft sound of discontent that escaped her. He manoeuvred until they were under the sheets they'd been lying on and drew her against him, kissing the top of her head as Jess cuddled into his side and threw a leg over his. Her hand came to rest on his chest above his steadily beating heart and he ran his fingers along her spine before letting his hand settle against the curve of her hip.

"Love you," Jess murmured sleepily, her eyes slipping closed as a contented sigh escaped her.

Becker tightened his arm around her and stared up at the ceiling, intent on staving off sleep for as long as possible so he could savour the sensation of her lying so close. "Love you, too, Jess."

Eventually, as light began to creep through the blinds covering the window signalling the beginning of a brand new day, Becker allowed himself to follow her into sleep.

* * *

_According to my plan, there are three parts left. That makes me both sad that it'll be over and excited that I'll be free to write one of the other many Jess/Becker stories running through my head :) _


	11. Chapter 11

They fell into a routine that felt effortless, as if they'd been doing it their entire lives. They drove Sophia to a local nursery in the morning, one that had been found for them and approved by Lester, and then continue on to work together. They'd spend the day at the ARC, doing what they did best, and then would leave together, collecting Sophia on their way home from Mrs Lester, who had volunteered to take care of the little girl alongside her own boys after nursery finished.

Despite the lack of action and the lack of sightings of Jason Keller, Becker wouldn't let himself forget the reason for the swift change in their relationship and was constantly checking and double checking the locks on the door to the flat as well as the CCTV footage of the small security cameras planted at the entrances of both the flat and the building.

While Becker was focusing on the threat Jason presented, Jess found herself spending more and more time in Lester's office, talking with his solicitor, George, over the speakerphone as they prepared for the upcoming custody case. She was assured regularly that she had nothing to worry about but she couldn't deny the small ball of dread that seemed to grow in size every time she thought about sitting across from her father in the judge's chambers.

Lewis and Maria Parker could offer Sophia the world; Jess wasn't sure she could. Her father and stepmother had a beautiful house surrounded by lots of land – land they'd never let Sophia explore, she was certain, but she doubted their solicitors would admit that to the judge presiding over the case. She had a two bedroom flat and no garden.

Her father was a wealthy, well-connected man who made a living he didn't rely on advising other people on how to invest their money and make more and her stepmother was a lady of leisure who'd never worked a day in her life. Jess had a job that she loved and saved people's lives but often needed her to work twelve hour days and unsociable hours.

Her father and stepmother had been married for seven years without so much as an argument that she could remember; Jess was just beginning to explore the possibility of a future with the man she was more used to loving from afar than actually being in a relationship with.

"The initial hearing is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, at two pm." George Allan, the solicitor working so hard for her though she'd never actually met him, announced over the speakerphone in Lester's office. "If possible, I'd like you to meet with you before hand, just to go over everything. We could meet at the front steps of the courthouse at one-thirty if that's acceptable?"

Jess glanced at Lester, waiting until he gave a small nod of agreement before answering. "That would be fine, Mr Allan. I appreciate everything you've done for me."

"It's a pleasure, Miss Parker. And I look forward to meeting you in person. It'll be good to put a face to the young woman I've heard so much about. James, I assume you'll be joining us at the courthouse?"

"I'll have to meet you both there. I have a meeting with the Minister at eleven and he does so like to go on about things." Lester rolled his eyes and Jess hid a smile. "Thank you, George. We'll see you then."

"That you will, James. And Miss Parker? Be positive. You have an extremely strong case. Goodbye for now."

Lester hung up and turned his attention back to the paperwork on his desk. He glanced up after several moments once he realised he hadn't heard the door to his office open or close. "Is there something else, Miss Parker? Do you not have enough work to keep you occupied?"

"I have plenty, as I'm sure you know." She looked indecisive for a moment before moving swiftly, crossing to stand beside him. She leaned down and kissed his cheek, quickly straightening and moving away before he could do more than gape at her. "I just wanted to say thank you, for everything. Even if it doesn't go the way we want it to, I know I couldn't have gotten this far without your help."

"It isn't over yet, Miss Parker." Lester tried to look stern but couldn't pull it off when his cheeks were tinged with pink. "Perhaps once it is you can thank me by replacing the whiskey you drank?"

"I'll do that." And she would, Jess promised herself, no matter how much the expensive drink cost. "I'm... going to get back to work now."

"You do that." Lester looked back at the paperwork on his desk, not seeing the smile slip from her face as she left the room.

Doing her best to keep her shoulders from slumping, Jess walked back to her place at the ADD, trying to tell herself that the knot of dread forming in her stomach was related to the custody hearing and nothing else.

* * *

Luck was against them the following day. After a restless night worrying about the events of the forthcoming ay, the last thing Jess wanted or needed was the anomaly detector to go off at quarter to one. With Lester already gone, she sat at the ADD and tracked the coordinators of the anomaly's location as the team raced to the hub to collect their black boxes.

"I could stay," Becker offered, knowing if he left, he wouldn't make it back in time to go with her to the courthouse.

"No." Though tempted, Jess shook her head. As much as she wanted him to stay, she knew his role on the team and in the field was too important. She already felt as though they had to prove their relationship wouldn't interfere with their jobs though who she was trying to prove it to Jess wasn't entirely sure. "You have to go. You can meet me there if you've got time, or I'll let you know what happened when it's done."

Still, Becker didn't look convinced. He'd spent half of the night reassuring her that the hearing would go well and knew better than anyone else how scared she was that something was going to go wrong. "There might not be an incursion," he pointed out. "They won't need me if..."

"But they will need you if there is, so go." She gave him a smile to take the edge off. "I'll stay for as long as possible over the comms but I'll have to leave at around ten past if I'm going to meet Mr Allan on time."

"Take Bushell or Ainsbury with you," Becker ordered. He glanced over his shoulder, checking that the others in Ops were distracted elsewhere, before leaning in to brush his lips against hers. "It'll be okay, Jess. It's just a preliminary hearing, to see if your father contests the custody agreement. You never know, it might all be over today."

"I hope so." Her smile widened, warmed with hope. "Now go. And be careful!"

"I will." Becker grinned and she knew what was coming, even as he turned to leave with the others. "I'll keep warm, too!"

Shaking her head, Jess turned her attention back to the ADD and the open anomaly, willing it to stay quiet so the team could come back soon. She stifled a sigh when its surface shifted, a shadow appearing seconds before a creature came through.

"We have a confirmed creature incursion," she announced over the comms, fingers flying over the keyboard as she put a plan in motion to clear the building – a hotel near Heathrow – of civilians. "Looks like an adult hyaenodon, no, make that two."

As the team discussed strategies, Jess tuned them out and hacked into the hotel's security systems, grateful the furry creatures prowling the corridors hadn't been noticed. She set off the fire alarms but overrode the sprinkler system and intercepted the automatic transmission meant to alert the fire brigade. She watched as confused guests and staff were evacuated, breathing a sigh of relief when they did so without encountering the creatures.

"The hotel has been evacuated, the hyaenodons are on the ground floor next to the kitchens," Jess reported a minute or two later. "The anomaly is along the same corridor, five doors down on the left. I think it's a laundry or storage room."

"Good work, Jess. Our ETA is ten minutes." Matt, as always, was calm and seemingly unconcerned.

"The creatures are entering the kitchen," Jess updated them a few moments later. Her eyes widened as she glanced at another screen showing pictures from the other cameras in the hotel. "Oh, no. Two people are re-entering the hotel," she said quietly. "I think they're trying to find the source of the fire."

Keeping an eye on the screens, Jess searched for and found the telephone number of the hotel's head office. One tense phone call later and she switched her mic back on, addressing the team as their cars pulled up outside of the hotel. "Head Office is attempting to contact the manager now. I said we'd received an anonymous tip off that a bomb may have been planted on the premises." She cringed as she said it, hating the thought scaring anyone unnecessarily but telling herself that a fake bomb scare was better than being mauled to death by a prehistoric dog. "One of the men in the hotel is answering a phone; he must be the manager. They've spit up, though. The other is heading towards the kitchens."

"We're on it."

She watched the team enter the hotel and split up. Becker, Matt and Emily made their way towards the kitchen, while Abby and Connor went to find the anomaly...

... which shifted again, admitting a further three creatures, two of which were fighting one another.

"Three more hyaenodons just came through, all fully grown. Two seem more interested in fighting each other but the third is leaving the room now."

"Copy that." Becker sounded grim and Jess couldn't blame him.

"I'm dispatching a back-up team," Jess informed them, nodding briefly to Sergeant Thompson, who'd come to stand beside her.

Becker's second-in-command issued black boxes to the rest of his unit and the group of soldiers left the ARC. It was only when they were gone that Jess realised he'd taken Bushell and Ainsbury with him. As she monitored the situation and kept an eye on the time, Jess glanced at a list of on-duty personnel, frowning at the names. She knew all of them, having set up their ID bracelets and security clearance when they'd first started at the ARC. Some of them she knew well enough to call by their first name and ask after their families and partners but some she only knew to nod or smile at in passing.

Though she'd trust them all – for the most part – with her life on a day to day basis at the ARC, none of the names on the list were recognisable from those who'd been enlisted by Lester and Becker to be on call as her personal protection. Not one of the people left behind knew the full details of the situation she'd found herself in and Jess was reluctant to involve them in it; as bubbly and outgoing as she was known to be, she considered herself to be quite a private person at heart and didn't relish the thought of revealing her darkest secrets to someone she didn't know extremely well.

She looked at the screens, tensing as she saw Becker and Matt approach the two hyaenodons in the kitchen. As the creatures bared their teeth and prepared to pounce, Jess bit her lip but couldn't look away. Her eyes were glued to the video feed as one of the hyaenodons was taken down by the combined force of Matt and Becker's EMDs but the other managed to escape the blasts and attacked. She bit back a scream, fear making her heart pound as it lunged at Becker. The man in question threw himself to the side, twisting in the air so he could fire as he fell. Jess noticed a third hyaenodon stalk into the kitchen behind the unaware men and straightened in her chair.

"Matt, Becker, behind you!" Even as she warned them, Matt spun and fired at the newcomer while Becker took aim at the creature that had tried to attack him. Both were successful hits and the animals slumped to the floor, stunned.

"Jess?" She turned in her chair to see one of the technicians ,Tom Sanders, standing beside her. "You ask me to take over at five past?"

After a quick glance at the small clock on one of the screens of her computer, Jess typed in a few commands on the ADD, switching her comm. link to a different frequency, before getting to her feet. She grabbed a black box on impulse, remembering Lester's instructions. "When Captain Becker gets back, tell him I took this. And tell him I have my comm. link set to a private channel." She doubted it would keep him from being annoyed she was leaving alone but hoped it'd be enough to keep him annoyed and not angry with her.

Striding out of Ops, Jess sent up a silent prayer that the team would finish in the field safely without her to watch over them. She forced herself to put them out of her mind and retrieved her handbag out of her locker before heading to her car.

The team were on their own in their fight, and she was walking alone into hers.

* * *

_Say it with me: eeep! ;)  
_


	12. Chapter 12

The hyaenodons were successfully subdued and returned to their time through the anomaly. Becker stared at the golden ball of light as it hovered in the air, locked, and wondered why he still felt on edge.

"It's locked, Becker. Nothing's coming through it." Matt's hand on his shoulder, however brief the contact, made him jump. The team leader smirked and arched an eyebrow. "Little on edge there, mate?"

"Something's not right," Becker muttered, his instincts screaming at him to do s_omething_ but giving him no clue as to what. He looked around, the frown on his face deepening when he caught sight of Thompson, Bushell and Ainsbury. "Thompson," he called out, walking towards his second-in-command.

"Captain." From the way it took Thompson an extra second or two to look at him, Becker knew the suspicion beginning to form in his mind was right.

"If the three of you are here," Becker began, careful to keep his voice calm and controlled. That, he'd discovered, was far scarier to those beneath his command than shouting and screaming. "Who exactly is escorting Jess to the courthouse?"

Bushell and Ainsbury wouldn't look at him. Thompson grimaced but met his accusing gaze. "It would seem Miss Parker left on her own, Sir. Bushell and Ainsbury are part of the back-up unit; none of us thought twice about coming out here."

Becker gritted his teeth, hands clenching into fists at his sides. "Of course you wouldn't; you're only doing your jobs." Turning away, he activated his comm. link. "Who's manning the ADD?"

"Ah, it's me, Sir. Sanders. Jess left half an hour ago... for her appointment." The technician answered immediately.

"You wouldn't happen to know if anyone went with her, would you, Sanders?" Even before the tech answered, Becker knew what he was going to say.

"No, Sir. She left alone. She told me to tell you she'd taken a black box and switched her comm. to a private line." If Sanders thought there was anything strange with what she'd done, it didn't show in the technician's voice. "Shall I patch you through to the same frequency, Captain?"

"Yes. Thank you," Becker added as an after-thought. He waited impatiently to be patched into onto the same channel, the knot in his stomach only relaxing when he heard Jess's voice in his ear.

_"I can't believe how much you've done in such a small space of time,"_ Jess was saying. _"Thank you, really. This is so much more than I'd have been able to do myself."_

_"I know it looks like a lot of work but, in all honesty, James took care of most of it for me. I wasn't expecting so many character references, nor so many glowing statements about your abilities. You are a very well-thought of young woman, Miss Parker. Your colleagues certainly don't hesitate to sing your praises, even if you do."_

Even without being in the same room as her, Becker could picture the blush colouring her cheeks. _"That's very nice of you to say, thank you."_ She sighed softly, the mic picking up the sound. _"We've still got twenty minutes before it starts, don't we? Would it be okay if I went outside and got some air?"_

_"Of course. There's a chance it may be a little late in beginning, anyway, but I wouldn't go too far."_

_"I won't. I'll just wait outside for Lester. He said he'd be here as soon as his meeting was over."_ He heard the scuffle of a chair being moved back, then the sound of Jess's heels clicking against the floor.

"You shouldn't be going outside alone, Jess. Then again, you shouldn't have left the ARC on your own, either." Becker was rewarded by a sound that was almost a squeak and a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

_"I took precautions," _Jess muttered, her voice low. _"And now you're making me look like a crazy person who's talking to herself. That's not exactly the image I'm going for right now."_

"I'm not making you talk to me." Walking away from his men, Becker moved to stand by the truck, waiting for the rest of the team to finish what they were doing. "In fact, it'll be easier for me to tell you how irresponsible and idiotic leaving by yourself was if you don't."

_"I couldn't be late, and there was no one else to ask. I'm not about to start broadcasting my personal life to everyone, Becker. Enough people already know as it is."_ He heard her heels click over a different surface and, after hearing the beep of a car horn, realised she'd made it outside. _"I take it since you're talking to me, everything's under control?"_

"The anomaly is locked, creatures are back through." He glanced over at Matt and Emily, seemingly engrossed in a heated conversation with the hotel's manager, and grimaced. "We could be here a while, though."

_"I thought as much." _He heard the false cheer she injected into her voice as she continued. _"At least this way you'll be able to hear what's going on."_

"I should be there, though." Becker glanced at his watch. He was a good twenty minutes drive away from the courthouse, without traffic, so knew he wouldn't make it in time for the hearing to begin even if he left straight away. "Any sign of Lester?"

_"Not yet but there are road works so it's possible he's caught in traffic. On the plus side, my father and Maria haven't shown up yet, either. Maybe they've had a change of heart and they're not going to bother."_

"Do you really believe that?"

_"No." _She sighed again. _"I don't think anything could ever be that easy where my father's concerned. I think — oh, God. Becker."_

"What? What's wrong?" Becker straightened, hearing her voice tremble. "Jess?"

_"He's here. Jason. He's here."_

"Go inside and find someone. Anyone. Now, Jessica." Becker whistled sharply to get attention from the team and opened the truck door. "I'm on my way, Jess, just keep calm and get help."

Connor and Abby hurried towards the truck, their expressions worried as they overheard his last words. "What's wrong? Is Jess okay? Sophia..?"

"Keller turned up at the courthouse," Becker said shortly, slamming the truck door. He stared at them through the open window and arched an eyebrow. "If you're coming, get in. If you're not, move out of the way."

The couple exchanged a glance before hurrying to the truck doors. Connor jumped in the back, while Abby quickly skirted the front of the vehicle to climb in on the other side, reaching her hand to her comm. to alert Matt to the situation as she did so. In a matter of seconds, Matt and Emily had disengaged from their conversation with the manager and were running towards the truck, too. Matt took his seat beside Becker in the front while Emily climbed in beside Connor.

Almost before the doors were all shut, Becker gunned the engine, tires squealing as the truck roared out of the car park. "Jess? Answer me, Jessica."

_"I'm still here. I think he's following me..." _A high pitched screech sounded over the comm. line and Becker swore. _"And if I'm not mistaken, that's a fire alarm. You don't think he'd set it off...?"_

"If he did, it's because he wants to use the distraction to get you alone. Stay with the crowd, Jess. Stay with everyone else no matter what."

_"I... Oh!"_ The clatter of heels stopped abruptly. In the background, Becker could hear the rushed footsteps as people raced to get out of the building. In the foreground, however, Jess's heels were silent. _"Jason."_

_"Hello, Jessie. It's been a long time."_

_"Not long enough."_

"Jess, scream. Attract attention to yourself." Becker's grip on the wheel tightened. Dimly, he was aware of Matt demanding that Sanders patch the team through to the same frequency as he and Jess but found himself not caring. "Jessica."

_"That's a big knife, Jason. Someone's going to notice it."_ He heard the tremor in her voice and put his foot down on the accelerator as the truck hit the motorway.

_"Everyone's too busy saving their own skin, Jessie. No one's looking at you and me."_ Jason's smug tone oozed through the mics, reminding them all too clearly of the black box recording they'd heard in the future. _"Do you know how long I've waited to talk to you? I thought for a while the only way I'd get to talk to you was to get rid of that man who always seems to be hanging around. The one who's moved in with you?" _Jason clucked his tongue. _"He's fortunate that he's not here, Jessie. I brought the knife for him."_

_"As if you'd stand a chance. You're not going to get what you want, Jason. You're not getting anywhere near Sophia..."_

_"Sophia? What would I want with her when I have you?"_ There was the sound of a scuffle, then a small cry from Jess that made his heart stop. _"If I want a brat tying me down, we'll have another one. It's not the kid I'm after, Jessie. I'm after what's rightfully mine."_

_"What's rightfully yours?"_

_"You, Jessie. You were always meant to be mine. From the moment I saw you, I knew."_

_"You knew nothing! I am not nor will I ever be yours, Jason. Ow!"_ Becker winced when she cried out again.

_"Be careful what you say, Jessie. You don't want to forget who's holding the knife now, do you?"_

"Keep him talking but don't make him angry, Jess," Matt spoke calmly, soothingly. "We're on our way to you now. Just don't go anywhere with him and you'll be okay."

_"Come on. We're getting out of here before they realise it's a false alarm."_

_"I am not going anywhere with you."_

_"If you want to live, you are." _Jason sounded louder, signalling that he'd moved closer to Jess and the comm. link she wore. _"I know a place we can go and... talk. Somewhere we won't be disturbed. Now move."_

_"No..."_

"Jess, go with him." Matt's order earned him a glare from Becker.

"No, Jess, don't. Stay where you are." The soldier took a corner a little too sharply, earning a quick intake of breath from his passengers in the backseat. "Do not go anywhere alone with him."

"She's wearing a black box," Matt pointed out, "Sanders can track her and lead us to wherever he takes her."

"Have you forgotten what happened last time she went somewhere with him? Don't you remember what was on that damn tape?"

"I do. But I know he's getting desperate and if he's desperate, he'll use whatever means necessary to get her to go with him. Including the knife I'm guessing he's already used," Matt added grimly.

"Jess?" Becker turned his cold stare to the road ahead, ignoring the sound of a horn blaring as he cut across a line of traffic. "Are you hurt?"

_"Just a scratch," _Jess murmured, her voice sounding strained. _"If you move the knife, I'll go with you."_

_"Good girl. That's my good girl."_

Becker bit his tongue hard enough to taste blood and forced himself to focus on driving. He heard Matt call Sanders on his mobile and order him to track Jess's black box and he listened as Jason taunted her, told her about his plans for their future and how he planned for them to start a new life away from everyone who knew them – away from everyone supposedly conspiring to keep them apart.

Telling himself that it wasn't going to happen, that he wasn't going to lose her – not in lifetime, Becker followed the directions Matt got from Sanders, determined to get to Jess's side before Jason could hurt her again.

* * *

_Yep, hard as it is to believe, there is only one part left. It's probably twice the size of this in length, though, just really difficult to split it up._

_Huge thanks to everyone for their reviews: Prawn Crackers, katdemon1895, primevalyank, SveaR, Mijo54 & Guest - you've made writing this so much more fun than it would've been anyway and I appreciate the support and, well, really just knowing it's been read (and hopefully enjoyed.)_

_Ooh, and while I'm babbling: does anyone know of any Primeval (preferably Jess/Becker but any will do) Christmas fanfic exchanges? I've been looking around without any joy so thought I'd ask._


	13. Chapter 13

Though the knife was no longer digging into her side, Jess was aware that it was far too close for comfort. Her neck stung where the blade had bit through her skin when Jason had tried to silence her but she kept repeating what she'd told Becker in her mind to keep the panic at bay: it's just a scratch, it's just a scratch.

Instead of leaving through the front doors where there were crowds of people staring up at the courthouse, no doubt expecting to see smoke billowing from a non-existent fire, Jason pushed her towards the back exits of the building. In her ear, Jess heard each of the team take turns at reassuring her, telling her they were close and speaking to various people – Simmons, Lester – about the situation, but the one voice she wanted to hear most was silent.

"Becker." His name was like a sigh and a plea rolled into one, and Jason tightened his grip on her arm in response.

"He's not going to take you away from me, Jessie," Jason told her vehemently. "No one is."

She ignored the man standing next to her, focusing instead on the voice in her ear. _"I'm here, Jess. It's okay."_

Tears sprung to her eyes and she found herself blinking furiously in an attempt at clearing her vision. She stumbled and tried to stifle a yelp when Jason's fingers dug painfully into her arm to keep her upright.

_"Jess? Are you okay?"_ Abby's voice was worried. In the background, Jess could hear Matt talking on a phone and Connor half-pleading with Becker to take the corners a little easier.

"Stop pushing me," Jess said instead, turning her head to glare at Jason. "If you don't want me to keep falling over, you're going to have to slow down."

"Like I'm falling for that," Jason snorted. "You think I don't know that you were meant to be meeting someone here? I saw you waiting outside. For all I know, your solider boy is on his way here now."

"Soldier boy?" Jess repeated, a note of amusement in her tone despite the situation. "I think he'd prefer Connor's Action Man title to that."

_"I'd prefer neither."_ Becker's dry tone made her smile; she knew he struggling to stay in control of his emotions and that staying silent was his way of coping with the situation but it helped her keep calm knowing he was close in some way when he couldn't be beside her physically. _"We're coming into the city now."_

_"Lester's almost there,"_ Matt chimed in. _"And there's a backup team from the ARC on their way. You're doing great, Jess. You're going to be okay."_

Jess took a deep breath and purposely stumbled again with the intention of delaying their departure for as long as possible. She bit back a cry when Jason dragged her to her feet, tasting blood where her teeth cut into her lip. His patience waning, the man who'd haunted her nightmares for five years slammed her back against the nearest wall, pinning her there with his weight and lifting the knife to her throat.

"Don't make me hurt you, Jessie," Jason warned, his grey eyes flashing dangerously. "We don't have time to play games."

Jess laughed bitterly; she couldn't help it. "Play games? Isn't that all you do? That's all this is, isn't it? One big, sick, twisted game?"

_"Jess…"_

"How can you say that? This isn't a game to me." Jason pressed against her, his expression confused as the blade at her throat trembled perilously close to her skin. "This is everything to me, Jessie. You've got no idea how long I've waited, how much I've wanted…"

"But I don't want you. I've never wanted you." Jess ignored the warning voices in her head – both the one that belonged to her and those of the team. "I'm tired of living my life constantly looking over my shoulder, wondering if you're going to be there. Whatever you think you feel for me is an illusion, Jason. It's not real. It can't be real."

"It is," Jason insisted, the blade pressing a little firmer against her throat. "If this isn't real, then why have I spent five years dreaming of this? Of being with you again? Why would I go to these lengths to get you back?"

Jess closed her eyes, a wave of calm washing over her. "You can't get back something that you never had to begin with."

"Don't be like this, Jessie. Why are you being like this?" He dug the blade in enough to draw a drop of blood, forcing her to open her eyes. Jason glared at her, his grey eyes growing darker with anger. "Is it soldier boy? Is he putting you up to this? You don't have to be with him now. I'm here, I'm back. We're going to go away, you and me, we're going to be together. We'll be free to love each other…"

"I don't love you, Jason. I never have." Pity shone in her eyes even as Matt warned her against telling Jason the truth. "Please. If you cared for me, even half as much as you claim to, you would let me go."

Jason stared at her in silence for several long, drawn out moments. His grip relaxed for a split second only to tighten again as he shook his head, an internal war waging within his mind. The blade dug in again and Jess gasped, feeling the bite of its serrated edge. "No. No, that's not true. You are mine, Jessie. You were born to be mine. And if I can't have you… If we can't be together…"

"Put the knife down and step away, Mr Keller." Jess looked over Jason's shoulder to find not only Lester standing there but her father and a uniformed security officer. Lester took half a step forward. "This will only end badly for you if you don't release Miss Parker now."

"She's not going anywhere." Jason spun them quickly, dragging her from the wall to stand in front of him, using her as a shield. One arm wrapped around her waist, the other held the knife at her throat. "Not without me. You need to back off and let us leave now."

"That isn't possible, I'm afraid, Mr Keller. I can't permit you to leave the premises with Miss Parker." Lester took another step towards them.

Jason glared at him over Jess's head. "What's it to you? Don't tell me you're sleeping with her, too?"

To Lester's credit, he barely reacted to the comment. "Miss Parker is a valuable employee of mine and someone I consider to be a friend. I will not allow you to hurt her any further, Mr Keller. I will ask you one more time to let her go and end this peacefully."

"I'm not letting her go." As if to prove his point, Jason pulled her tighter against him, causing her to gasp as the arm around her middle tightened. "You'll have to kill me first."

"That can be arranged." At first, Jess thought the voice was only in her ear. It was only when she felt Jason tense that she realised he'd heard it, too.

Turning her head as much as she dared, Jess saw Becker striding along the corridor towards them, Emily and Abby on his heels. Glancing in the opposite direction, Jess saw Matt and Connor. With a wall at his back, there was nowhere else for Jason to go. Jess felt a momentary sense of relief, knowing that no matter what happened, she wouldn't be going anywhere she didn't want to with the man clutching her to him like a lifeline.

"Let her go, Jason." It was her father who spoke, the imploring tone and look on his face surprising her. Lewis Parker stared at Jess, fear and apology mingling in his eyes. "Please. You've hurt her enough for one lifetime. Let my daughter go."

"Don't. Don't come any closer." Jason, sounding panicked, looked back and forth along the corridor, glaring at Matt and Becker when they kept advancing. "Come any closer and I'll kill her." He increased the pressure of the knife against her throat and Jess leaned her head back against his shoulder in attempt to ease the weight of the blade against her skin. "I mean it. I'll kill her."

"I won't let you do that." Becker's jaw tightened, his gaze cold where it landed on Jason. "Put the knife down, Jason, and you can live. Hurt her again and I will shoot you."

It was then Jess realised that it wasn't an EMD he was holding securely in his hand. Her eyes widened and she glanced at Matt, swallowing hard when she realised he, too, was holding a semi-automatic and not the non-lethal weapons she was used to.

"You can't shoot me without hurting her," Jason said, the bravado in his voice doing little to disguise the trembling in it.

"That's a risk we'll have to take." Matt joined the conversation, distracting Jason. "You don't want to do this, mate. Just let Jess go and we can all walk out of here."

"I'm not your mate," Jason spat. "This has got nothing to do with you. With any of you! This is between Jessie and me."

"Miss Parker has made it painfully clear that she wants nothing to do with you." Lester arched an eyebrow, sounding almost bored with the proceedings. If she didn't know him so well, Jess thought she might be upset that her boss didn't seem to care. In truth, though, she saw the strain on his face and promised herself that when it was all over, she'd make sure she did replace the whiskey in his desk drawer. "This is getting quite tiresome, Mr Keller. You're only making it worse for yourself the longer you drag this sorry charade on. I think -"

When first shot was fired, it surprised all of them. The security guard beside Lester saw a chance and took it, but missed. Jason ducked to avoid it, pulling Jess with him. The Field Co-ordinator cried out as the hand holding the knife jerked, slicing neatly into the flesh of her upper arm as she twisted away. Jess landed on the floor beside Jason and scrambled to get away from the man reaching for both her and the blade he'd dropped.

In an instant, Becker was beside her, helping her to her feet and pushing her behind him. He aimed his gun at Jason's head with a steady hand as Jason's managed to grasp the handle of the knife in a vice-like grip.

What possessed him to move, no one knew. With a scream of rage, Jason leapt from his position of being crouched on the floor, the blade in his hand as he lunged towards Becker and Jess. From her position behind Becker, Jess heard two shots ring out in the otherwise quiet courthouse, followed by a dull thump as Jason's lifeless body fell to the floor.

Lowering his gun, Becker spun and faced her. His face grew pale, his eyes worried as he saw the blood running from the cut on her arm. Still, he was able to reach out and catch her as her legs gave way, cradling her against his chest as he lowered them both to the floor.

"Somebody get some medics in here, now!" Lester ordered, advancing on the couple with the rest of the team. Their boss crouched on the floor beside them, either not noticing or not caring about the blood staining the material of the expensive suit trousers he wore. "Jess? Are you still with us?"

Not trusting herself to speak, Jess could only nod as Becker's hand moved over hers to press against the bleeding wound. She let her head fall back against his shoulder, tears stinging her eyes at the sight of the familiar faces crowded around them.

It was over, she told herself, allowing her eyes to slide shut. She wanted to open them again when she heard Becker calling her name, desperation in his tone, but her body refused to listen to her demands.

It was finally all over.

* * *

When Jess woke up, it was to find herself in a sterile white room of a local hospital. She wondered for a moment why she'd been taken there instead of to the ARC's medical bay but her question was answered as soon as she realised that her father was sitting in one of the two occupied chairs at her bedside. Beside him, Becker sat with Sophia on his lap, both appearing sound asleep though Jess suspected it may have been an act on Becker's part to avoid speaking to her father.

"Jessica." Lewis sat forward in his seat when he noticed she was awake, the relief on his face surprising her. "How are you, darling? Does it hurt?"

It didn't, no doubt thanks to the painkillers being administered through the IV in the back of her hand. "It's fine. It's just a scratch."

"A scratch that needed nine stitches," her father told her gravely. "I hadn't realised… I didn't think…"

"That Jason would really come after me or that he really is as obsessed as I told you? Or was," Jess corrected herself softly. "He's dead, isn't he?"

Lewis gave her a short nod of confirmation. "Your friend here had no choice, nor did his colleague. If they hadn't…" Her father shuddered, his features contorting into a pained expression. "I'm sorry, Jessica."

Jess struggled to move into an upright position, biting back a curse when she put too much pressure on her injured arm, tugging the tender skin of the wound. Eventually settling into a comfortable position against the pillows, she turned her attention to her father. "What are you apologising for, Dad? For not believing me when I tried telling you how crazy he was or for taking the one good thing I had to focus on away from me when I needed her most?"

"Both." Lewis swallowed reflexively and leaned forward. His hand edged towards hers but he drew it back, unsure if the gesture would be welcomed. "I've told Maria we're not pursuing custody of Sophia." Her father glanced towards the little girl where she cuddled contentedly into Becker's chest, the soldier's arm wrapped protectively around her. "She's clearly happy where she is."

Following her father's line of sight, Jess smiled softly, warmth spreading through her. "She is. We both are."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that." Lewis cleared his throat awkwardly and stared down at his hands. "I've been a very poor father to you, Jessica. Ever since your mother left…"

"You never wanted me, I know. Mum was the one who wanted a daughter." Her tone was more accepting than accusing; it was something she'd realised at a young age after hearing her father demand that her mother take Jess with her. "It's okay. You don't have to explain."

"I did want you." The honesty in her father's voice made her look at him. "I do. But I've never raised a daughter, Jessica, especially not one who looks so much like the woman who left me and broke my heart." His smile was sad and self-depreciating. "You look so much like your mother at times, Jessica. I let that affect the way I treated you and for that, I am truly sorry."

"But I heard… You called mum and demanded she come and get me." Jess stared at him, her brow furrowed. "I thought that meant…"

"That I didn't want you," Lewis finished with a sigh. "That's not true. When your mother first left, I called and asked – begged – her to come home. I used you as a bargaining chip. I thought if I appealed to her maternal instincts, she'd come back to me. To us. I hadn't realised just how miserable being married to me made her."

"It wasn't being married to you that made her miserable," Jess protested, swallowing the lump that rose in her throat. "Mum was happy until you started working long hours and Aunt Lisa started spending so much time at our house. She thought you were having an affair, that's what Aunt Lisa said."

Her father's jaw dropped. "Lisa said your mother thought I was having an affair?"

"No, Dad, Aunt Lisa told mum you were having an affair. Mum told me, last year when I went to visit her. She got really drunk and kept saying sorry for leaving us but that she couldn't stay."

"I would never…" Lewis broke off, his jaw clenched and eyes narrowing. "I wondered. Harry left Lisa three months before your mother left me and I wondered…" His shoulders slumped and Jess thought he suddenly looked defeated and old. "It's too late now. We can't change the past, no matter how much we might want to."

"There's always the future." Jess bit her lip and shrugged a shoulder when he looked at her. "I know you're with Maria now but there's no reason you and mum can't be friends at some point in the future. It'd be nice for Sophia to be able to have her grandparents in the same room for a change."

Her father smiled at her hopeful tone and reached out to her. This time, he made contact, patting her hand lightly before grasping it in his. "I am proud of you, Jessica. Your mother and I might have failed abysmally at raising you but you've turned out wonderfully regardless."

Lewis remained for a few minutes longer, making his exit when Jess began to yawn. They would never be as close as they could have been, Jess knew, but she was hopeful they'd be able to maintain some form of relationship once the dust settled and everything calmed down.

Settling against the pillows, her attention drifted to Becker and Sophia, a smile lighting her face at sight of her new family, safe and sound and relatively unscathed.

"You can stop pretending to be asleep now," she said quietly, arching an eyebrow when Becker's eyes opened immediately. "I knew you were faking."

"I wasn't for all of it," Becker protested quietly, conscious of the little girl still dozing against him. "I just thought it was better if I didn't interrupt. You needed to talk."

"We did." Her smile brightened as she remembered the first part of her conversation with her father. "He's not contesting custody. Sophia's not going anywhere."

Becker glanced down at the girl wrapped in his arms and smirked. "I could've told you that." The smirk dropped when his gaze returned to her mother. "Neither are you. Going anywhere, I mean."

"Well, no." Jess glanced at the bandage covering her arm and then back at him. "It's just a scratch. You've had worse."

"That's not what I meant." Shifting in his seat, careful not to disturbed Sophia, he leaned forward and took her hand, lifting it to his lips. "I thought we were going to lose you. That I was going to lose you."

"That's not going to happen." Freeing her hand so she could rest her palm against his cheek, Jess smiled softly. "If you think I'm going to let you go now I finally have you where I want you, Captain Becker, you've got another thing coming. I'm staying for as long as you want me."

For a moment, it looked to Jess as if Becker was going to say something but he changed his mind, choosing to turn his face into her palm and press a kiss to its centre instead. They sat holding hands in silence until a doctor came in, announcing she was free to leave and waking Sophia in the process.

Half an hour later, the family of three left the hospital and completed the short journey needed to get them home.

* * *

Two weeks after the first anomaly to the future opened, a third opened in the control room of the ARC. Even though they'd been expecting it to open somewhere, the team weren't expecting it to be right on their doorstep. As the alarms blared and the gold light appeared, Jess moved hurriedly towards Lester's office, getting halfway there before the team descended on the hub.

"Should we lock it?" Connor wondered aloud, skidding to a halt beside Abby. "I mean, we've changed things, right? So we don't need to worry about Simpson coming through and firing us?"

Lester's eyes narrowed at the mention of his would-be replacement. "If anyone's doing any firing around here, Mr Temple, I assure you it will be me."

"Maybe we should wait." Abby stared at the gold light, biting her lip. She glanced at Jess, who Becker had immediately moved in front of protectively. "They could always lock it from their end if they wanted…"

No sooner had she finished speaking, a small ball was rolled through the anomaly. They all tensed at first, relaxing only when they realised it was a harmless plastic ball with a sheet of paper wrapped around it, secured with an elastic band. As Matt approached it cautiously, the anomaly it came out of locked before disappearing entirely.

Becker relaxed his stance but still hovered beside Jess, watching the team leader pull the paper from around the ball. A small item that had been tucked between the ball and the paper fell to the floor. Matt bent down to pick it up before glancing at the paper, a small grin playing on his lips.

"Think it's for you, mate."

Taking the paper and the item – a photograph, Becker realised - he scanned the neatly written message before glancing at the picture that accompanied it. A nineteen year old Sophia beamed at him from between an older version of himself and Jess.

Wordlessly, he handed both items to the woman at his side, watching as she first read the note, tracing a fingertip over Sophia's unfamiliar handwriting and then stared at the photograph, blinking her suspiciously bright eyes as she pulled her gaze away to smile up at him.

The note was short and sweet, three words that told them everything would work out the way they wanted it to, at least as far as the immediate future was concerned.

_'Thank you, Daddy.'_

* * *

End

_And there we have it. I'm leaving it up to your own imaginations to decide whether Sophia is an only child and if any more children have been born to the rest of the team (Edward Anderson, perhaps?) _

_Thank you all for your support during my first multi-part story in this fandom; I've already started planning the next!_


End file.
